• Success Criterion 1.1.1
  • Conformance level A

Audio Clip Published With No Label Identifying It

1.1.1 — Non-text Content

Scenario

Setting

A calendar app's event-creation form

What’s wrong

Audio <audio> used as non-text content (e.g., pronunciation clip) with no descriptive identification.

Example 

<audio src="reminder-tone-1.mp3" controls></audio>

Why it matters

Someone picking a reminder tone by screen reader can't tell which of five unlabeled audio players is "Chime" versus "Bell" without playing every one.

How to test

Look for a text caption or label identifying an embedded audio clip (e.g., pronunciation sample): if there's no text nearby saying what it is, it fails.

How to fix

Name what the clip actually is. An unlabeled audio control just announces as "audio," with no way to tell them apart.

<audio src="reminder-tone-1.mp3" controls aria-label="Preview: Chime reminder tone"></audio>

Outcome

A user hears "preview, chime reminder tone" and picks the right sound without playing through every option first.

Who is affected

Screen reader users choosing between multiple similar audio options need each one named.

Learn more

Related scenarios