A Button Has No Name a Screen Reader Can Say

A screen reader announces just "button", so people can't tell what it does — close, search, delete or buy.

A Clickable Area of an Image Map Has No Text

Each clickable part of an image map needs its own text, or screen reader users hear a vague link with no idea where it goes.

A Dropdown Menu Has No Name

A screen reader announces the dropdown but not what it's for, so people can't tell which choice they're making.

A Form Field Has No Label

Screen readers can't say what a field is for, so people don't know what to type or choose.

A List-Type Role Is Missing the Items It Needs Inside

When a list, menu, tab list or table role has no proper items inside, screen readers can't count or describe them, so people lose their place.

A Role Attribute Uses a Value That Doesn't Exist

When `role` is misspelt, made up or abstract, screen readers ignore it — so people can't tell what the element is or how to use it.

A Role Is Missing an ARIA Attribute It Needs

Some roles need a state, like checked or expanded. Without it, screen reader users can't tell whether a control is on, off, open or closed.

A Video Has No Captions

People who are deaf or hard of hearing can't follow what is said in the video, so they miss the message entirely.

An ARIA Attribute Has a Value That Isn't Allowed

When an ARIA attribute holds a wrong or misspelled value, screen readers ignore it or guess — so people miss whether something is open, checked or current.

An ARIA Attribute Name Is Misspelled or Made Up

Screen readers ignore any ARIA attribute with a wrong name, so a label, hint or hidden setting silently never reaches the person.

An ARIA Role Is Missing the Parent It Needs

Some items, like a tab or a menu item, only make sense inside the right group. Without it, screen reader users don't hear how items relate.

An Image Button Has No Text Alternative

A button made from an image has no words behind it, so screen reader users hear only "button" or a file name and can't tell what it does.

An Image Has No Text Alternative

Screen readers can't describe an image with no text alternative, so people miss what it shows, or hear a meaningless file name instead.

An Input Button Has No Text for Screen Readers

A button made with `<input>` has no name, so screen reader users hear only "button" and can't tell what it does.

Sound Plays by Itself and Can't Be Stopped Quickly

Audio that starts on its own talks over the screen reader, so people who rely on speech can't hear the page or find the stop button.

The Page Reloads or Redirects Itself on a Timer

The page reloads or jumps to another page after a set time, so people lose their place, their typing, or the page before they finish.

The Page Stops People from Zooming In

The page's settings block pinch-zoom on phones, so people who need bigger text can't make it bigger and may not be able to read it.

The Whole Page Is Hidden from Screen Readers

With `aria-hidden="true"` on the `body`, screen readers find nothing on the page, so blind visitors can't read or use any of it.

Two Elements Share an ID That Labels or Descriptions Point To

When a label points to an ID used twice, screen readers read the wrong label or hint — so people fill in the wrong field.

A Braille-Only Label Has No Matching Spoken Label

The control has a short label for braille displays but no normal label, so people using speech hear nothing useful about what it is.

A Button or Link Is Too Small to Tap Easily

Tiny or tightly packed buttons and links are hard to hit, so people tap the wrong thing or give up.

A Control Sits Inside Another Control

When a button or link sits inside another clickable control, screen readers may skip the inner one, and keyboard users may never reach it.

A Control's Hidden Name Doesn't Include Its Visible Words

The button says one thing on screen but has a different hidden name, so people who speak commands or use screen readers can't match them up.

A Custom Button, Link or Menu Item Has No Name

A control built with role="button", "link" or "menuitem" has no name, so screen reader users hear only "button" and can't tell what it does.

A Custom Checkbox, Switch or Radio Has No Name

A screen reader announces "checkbox, not checked" but never says what the checkbox is for, so people can't tell what they're turning on.

A Custom Input Field Has No Name

A custom text box, slider or dropdown has no name in the code, so screen reader users hear what kind of field it is but not what it's for.

A Definition List Contains the Wrong Elements

When a `<dl>` holds stray elements or terms in the wrong order, screen readers may miss which description belongs to which term.

A Dialog Has No Name

When a pop-up dialog opens, screen reader users hear just "dialog". They don't hear what it's for, so they must explore it to find out.

A Disclosure's Summary Has No Text a Screen Reader Can Read

When a `<summary>` has no readable text, screen reader users hear only "collapsed" or "button" and can't tell what the section holds.

A Form Field Has No Visible Label, Only a Hidden Hint

The field's name lives only in a tooltip or hidden description, so many people can't see what to type, and screen readers may not say it clearly.

A Form Field's Autocomplete Value Is Misspelt or Not Recognised

When a field's `autocomplete` value is wrong, the browser can't fill in someone's details for them, so they must type everything by hand.

A Frame on the Page Has No Name

Screen reader users reach an embedded frame — a video, map or form — but hear only "frame", so they can't tell what's inside or whether to enter.

A Frame with Controls Inside Is Skipped by the Keyboard

The frame has `tabindex="-1"`, so pressing Tab jumps right past it. Keyboard users can't reach the buttons, links or fields inside.

A Lang Attribute on Part of the Page Has an Invalid Value

When a passage is marked with a language code that doesn't exist, screen readers can't switch voice, so foreign words come out garbled or mispronounced.

A Link Has No Text a Screen Reader Can Read

When a link has no readable name, screen reader users hear only "link" or a messy web address, and can't tell where it goes.

A List Contains Something Other than List Items

When a list holds items that aren't marked as list items, screen readers may miscount it or skip things — so people lose track of what's in it.

A List Item Sits Outside a List

When an `<li>` isn't inside a `<ul>` or `<ol>`, screen readers may not announce it as a list, so people lose the count and grouping.

A Meter Has No Name

A screen reader announces a value like "75%" but not what it measures, so people can't tell if it's battery, storage or password strength.

A Progress Bar Has No Name

Screen readers announce a progress bar and its value, but not what is loading or how far a person is through a task.

A Scrolling Area Can't Be Reached with the Keyboard

Content inside a box that scrolls can't be reached by people using only a keyboard, so they never see what's hidden below or beside it.

A Server-Side Image Map Can't Be Used Without a Mouse

A server-side image map works only by clicking a spot on a picture, so keyboard and screen reader users can't choose any of its options.

A Tab Has No Name for Screen Readers

When a tab has no name, screen reader users hear only "tab" and can't tell which section it opens.

A Table Cell's Headers Attribute Points to the Wrong Cells

When a cell's `headers` list names cells that aren't headers in the same table, screen reader users don't hear which row or column the data belongs to.

A Table Header Has No Data Cells Under or Beside It

A header cell labels nothing, so screen reader users hear a heading with no data, or can't tell which header goes with which cell.

A Table's Title Is in a Cell, Not a Caption

The table's title sits in a cell that spans every column, so screen readers treat it as data or a header, not as the table's name.

A Tooltip Has No Text a Screen Reader Can Read

An element marked as a tooltip has no readable name, so screen reader users hear nothing — or just "tooltip" — where sighted people see a helpful hint.

An ARIA Attribute Breaks the Rules for This Element

Some ARIA attributes only work in certain situations, and when misused, screen readers announce the wrong state or nothing at all.

An ARIA Attribute Is Used Where It Isn't Allowed

Each role allows only certain ARIA attributes, and screen readers ignore any other — so people miss what it was meant to say.

An ARIA Label Is on an Element That Can't Have One

Some elements aren't allowed a hidden label, so screen readers may skip it — and people miss the words you meant them to hear.

An Element Has a Tabindex Greater than Zero

A positive `tabindex` forces that element to the front of the Tab order, so keyboard users jump around the page in a confusing order.

An Element Marked as an Image Has No Text Alternative

Something built to act as a picture has no description, so screen reader users hear "image" or nothing at all, and miss what it shows.

An Embedded Object Has No Text Alternative

Content shown with an `<object>` element has no name, so screen reader users don't know what it is or what it shows.

An Item in a Tree View Has No Name

Screen readers announce a tree item with no name as just "tree item", so people can't tell which folder or section they're on.

An SVG Marked as an Image Has No Text Alternative

The SVG is announced as an image, but with no name, so screen reader users hear "image" and never learn what it shows.

Bold Paragraph Text Is Used Instead of a Real Heading

Text styled to look like a heading is really a paragraph, so screen reader users can't find it or jump to it.

Data Cells in a Large Table Have No Header

In a big table, screen reader users hear each value with no row or column name, so they can't tell what the numbers mean.

Hidden Content Can Still Receive Keyboard Focus

Something is hidden from screen readers but can still be reached with Tab, so focus lands on a control that says nothing at all.

Inline Text Spacing Is Locked with !important

Text spacing is forced in the page code, so people can't widen gaps between lines, letters or words to make reading easier.

Links in a Paragraph Are Shown by Colour Alone

When a link inside text differs only by colour, people who can't tell the colours apart can't find the link at all.

Scrolling Text Uses the Outdated Marquee Element

Text that scrolls by itself can't be paused, so people who read slowly, or get distracted by movement, can't read it or focus on the page.

Term and Description Items Sit Outside a Description List

When `<dt>` or `<dd>` items aren't inside a `<dl>`, screen readers can't tell which description belongs to which term, or how many pairs there are.

Text Colour Is Too Close to Its Background Colour

When text and background are too similar, many people can't read the words — especially in sunlight, on cheap screens, or with ageing or low vision.

Text Grouped with role="text" Contains a Link or Button

Grouping text with `role="text"` flattens everything inside into plain words, so a link or button within it stops sounding like something you can use.

The Page Doesn't Say What Language It's In

Without a language set on the page, screen readers may read the words with the wrong accent and rules, making them hard or impossible to understand.

The Page Has No Title

Without a page title, people can't tell which page or tab they're on, and screen readers announce only the web address or nothing useful.