Accessibility Wiki

Abbreviations should have a title with their expanded form

Rule abbr-no-title · Deeper checks · impact minor · Static + live

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Why it matters

Screen readers can announce the expanded form of an abbreviation from its title attribute. Without it, users hear only the abbreviated letters, which may be incomprehensible out of context.

How to fix

Add a title attribute to containing the full expanded text.

Example

✕ Fails
<abbr>WCAG</abbr>
✓ Passes
<abbr title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">WCAG</abbr>

WCAG success criteria

3.1.4 Abbreviations — Level AAA

A mechanism (e.g. a title attribute, an inline expansion, or a glossary) must be available for identifying the expanded form or meaning of abbreviations.

Understanding 3.1.4

Standards

This rule contributes to the following standards:

WCAG AAA

References