- Success Criterion 1.3.1
- Conformance level A
Term-Definition Pairs With No Real Definition List Markup
1.3.1 — Info and Relationships
Scenario
Setting
A real-estate marketplace's listing page
What’s wrong
Definition/description pairs presented visually without definition-list code (dl/dt/dd) or equivalent text association.
Example
<div class="heading">Shipping Address</div>Why it matters
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
How to test
Inspect term/definition pairs (e.g., a glossary) in DevTools: check for dl/dt/dd or another explicit text association — purely visual spacing/formatting fails.
How to fix
Use definition-list code (dl/dt/dd) (or explicit text association) for term–definition pairs.
<h2>Shipping Address</h2>A real heading element exposes the section structure to assistive tech; a styled div doesn't.
Outcome
On a real-estate marketplace's listing page, this barrier is gone for screen-reader, braille — they can finish what they came here to do.
Who is affected
Screen-reader, braille, and reading-tool users who depend on coded structure rather than visual layout.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Text Styled to Look Like a Heading Instead of Coded as One
- Text Columns Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Markup
- Table Layout Faked With Spaces Instead of Real Table Code
- Clickable Div Acting as a Link Button With No Real Role
- Structural HTML Tags Used Purely for Visual Styling
- Layout-Only Table Wrongly Coded With Real Header Cells