Success Criterion 1.4.12
Conformance level AA

1.4.12 · Text Spacing

Lesson overview · Text Spacing

In plain language

If a user widens line, letter, word, and paragraph spacing (a common reading aid), no text may be cut off or overlap.

Who it affects

People with dyslexia or low vision who apply extra text spacing to read.

How to check

Apply a text-spacing bookmarklet (line 1.5, paragraph 2x, letter 0.12em, word 0.16em) and scan every page for clipped or overlapping text.

Common misconception

This isn't about your own line-height setting. It's about whether the page still works when a *user* overrides spacing with their own stylesheet, most sites have never tested that.

Learn more

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

Scenarios in this lesson

Text That Clips or Overlaps Under User Text-Spacing Settings
Fixed-Height Container Clipping Text at Wider Line Spacing
Text Overlapping the Section Below After Spacing Changes
Author CSS Blocking the User’s Own Text-Spacing Stylesheet
Button Label That Vanishes Under Increased Text Spacing
Tooltip or Dropdown That Truncates Under Text-Spacing Overrides
JavaScript Truncation That Deletes Content on Text-Spacing Change
Letter Spacing Set in Pixels That Ignores User Overrides
Menu Items Pushed Out of Reach by Wider Word Spacing
Web Component Style That Blocks User Text-Spacing Overrides
Images or Controls That Disappear Under Text-Spacing Settings