Who this affects
A definition list is malformed.
How to fix it
Ensure <dl> contains only correctly ordered <dt> and <dd> elements.
Effort Low · ~15 min
Where this sits in the standard
| WCAG success criterion | Level | EN 301 549 clause |
|---|---|---|
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | 301-549, 9.1.3.1 |
EN 301 549 clause 9 applies these criteria to web content. The published version referenced by the European Accessibility Act is V3.2.1, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 level A and AA. More on the standard.
How to check it by hand
Ask the screen reader to list the page's lists. A group announced as "list, 6 items" is navigable; the same content in unmarked divs is not.
Automated testing settles roughly a third of the WCAG success criteria. This rule is one an automated tool detects reliably — but a clean automated result is not proof of conformance.
Reference
Deque's technical write-up for this rule: definition-list
See whether your site trips this rule
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