Level A
What the automated checks look for
Pages have no language set
Without a page language, a screen reader may read the text with the wrong pronunciation.
Who it affects. A screen reader may read English text with a French voice, for example, which is hard or impossible to understand.
How to fix it. Set lang on the html element to the page's main language.
<html lang="en">Pages' language codes are not valid
An invalid page language makes a screen reader guess the pronunciation.
Who it affects. A screen reader can't pick a voice for an unknown language code, so it may mispronounce every word.
How to fix it. Use a valid language code on the html element, such as "en" or "en-US".
<html lang="en-US">Pages' lang and xml:lang differ
Two different languages on the html element leave assistive technology unsure which to use.
Who it affects. A screen reader may pick the wrong voice for the page.
How to fix it. Make lang and xml:lang on the html element the same, or remove xml:lang.
<html lang="en" xml:lang="en">Read more
- Understanding 3.1.1, from the W3C
- Previous: 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)
- Next: 3.1.2 Language of Parts