Success Criterion 2.1.4
Conformance level A

2.1.4 · Character Key Shortcuts

Lesson overview · Character Key Shortcuts

In plain language

Single-key shortcuts (letters, numbers, symbols) must be off-able, remappable, or active only when the control has focus.

Who it affects

Speech-input users and people who press keys accidentally.

How to check

Press single letter keys while browsing (not in a text field): if anything fires, look for a setting to disable or remap it.

Common misconception

A single-letter shortcut like “j” for “next” feels like a nice power-user feature until someone using speech-to-text dictates a sentence containing that letter and triggers it by accident.

Learn more

Understanding Understanding this success criterion (opens in a new tab)

Scenarios in this lesson

Single-Letter Keyboard Shortcut With No Way to Turn It Off
Global Single-Key Shortcut That Fires During Speech Dictation
Library’s Default Hotkeys Shipped With No Settings Toggle
Shortcut Remapping That Doesn’t Allow Modifier Key Combinations
Shortcut Toggle Setting That Resets on Every Page Load
Keyboard Shortcut That Fires Even While Typing in a Field
Shortcut Off-Switch Hidden Behind the Very Barrier It Fixes