aria-autocomplete on a combobox must be a valid token

Rule combobox-aria-autocomplete · Component patterns (best practice) · impact moderate · Static + live

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Why it matters#

aria-autocomplete tells assistive technology how a combobox predicts input: none, inline (completes in the field), list (shows suggestions), or both. Any other value is invalid and is ignored, so the autocomplete behaviour is not announced. The attribute is optional — omitting it defaults to none.

How to fix#

Set aria-autocomplete to none, inline, list, or both to match the combobox behaviour, or remove it to default to none.

Example#

<div role="combobox" aria-expanded="false" aria-autocomplete="yes">Search</div>

<div role="combobox" aria-expanded="false" aria-autocomplete="list">Search</div>

WCAG success criteria#

4.1.2 Name, Role, Value — Level A#

Every UI component must expose a correct name, role, and (where relevant) state/value to assistive technology.

Understanding 4.1.2

Standards#

This rule contributes to the following standards:

WCAG A EN 301 549

References#

• WAI-ARIA — aria-autocomplete