- Success Criterion 1.3.2
- Conformance level A
- W3C reference F32
Word Spelled Out Letter by Letter Instead of Read as a Word
1.3.2 — Meaningful Sequence
Scenario
Setting
A weather app's forecast screen
What’s wrong
Spaces are inserted between letters to space a word out visually (H E L L O). Screen readers then spell it letter by letter instead of reading the word.
Example
Try this on a weather app's forecast screen: spaces are inserted between letters to space a word out visually (H E L L O). Screen readers then spell it letter by letter instead of reading the word.
Why it matters
Screen-reader and keyboard users who encounter content in DOM order. On a weather app's forecast screen specifically, they can't navigate the content by its real structure.
How to test
Copy suspect spaced-out text (H E L L O) and check with a screen reader: it will spell out each letter instead of reading the word — confirm real CSS letter-spacing isn't used instead.
How to fix
Use CSS letter-spacing for visual spacing — keep the word intact in the markup.
Outcome
Fixed, a visitor to a weather app's forecast screen can move through the content with confidence.
Who is affected
Screen-reader and keyboard users who encounter content in DOM order.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
- Technique Related technique (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- CSS Layout Changes That Scramble the Screen Reader’s Reading Order
- Text Columns Faked With Spaces Read Aloud Out of Order
- Layout Table That Reads in a Nonsensical Order When Linearized
- CSS Reordering That Makes Code Order Differ From Visual Order
- Multi-Column Article Whose Code Order Interleaves the Columns
- Prices or Labels Positioned Visually Near the Wrong Product in Code