• Success Criterion 3.2.4
  • Conformance level AA
  • W3C reference F31

Same Feature Given a Different Name on Different Pages

3.2.4 — Consistent Identification

Scenario

Setting

An online spreadsheet's toolbar

What’s wrong

The same feature is labeled differently on different pages (e.g., 'Search' here, 'Find' there), confusing users who rely on consistency.

Example 

<!-- Toolbar -->
<button aria-label="Search">Search icon</button>

<!-- Menu bar -->
<button aria-label="Find">Search icon</button>

Why it matters

The same magnifying-glass feature is announced as Search in the toolbar and Find in the menu, so a screen reader user can't tell if they're two different tools or the same one.

How to test

Compare the same feature's label across multiple pages: if it's called something different in different places (e.g., 'Search' vs. 'Find'), it fails.

How to fix

Pick one name for a feature and use it in every menu, toolbar, and label that exposes it.

<!-- Toolbar -->
<button aria-label="Search">Search icon</button>

<!-- Menu bar -->
<button aria-label="Search">Search icon</button>

Outcome

A user recognizes the same feature by name everywhere it appears in the app.

Who is affected

Screen reader users building a mental model of the app's features get confused about whether Search and Find do different things.

Learn more

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