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WCAG Explorer (beta)

This resource is designed for anyone eager to master digital accessibility. Explore WCAG success criteria through clear, easy-to-understand descriptions. We owe a special "hat tip" to Johannes Lehner’s WCAG Card Deck, which served as the inspiration for this project.

We plan to expand this library over time, so please check back regularly for updates.

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  • Level AAA

30 success criteria found for Level AAA

Success criterion 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY WORDING

Prerecorded videos must include extended audio descriptions if important visual content like:

  • important visual details,
  • on-screen text not spoken aloud, or
  • scenes without natural audio breaks

can't be described during normal playback.

Success criterion 1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY WORDING

Prerecorded videos must have a full text alternative that includes:

  • all speech,
  • relevant sound effects (like music, alarms, or laughter), and
  • important visual content,

even if captions and audio descriptions are already available.

Success criterion 1.2.9 Audio-only (Live)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY WORDING

Live audio-only content must include a real-time text alternative, such as:

  • captions, or
  • live transcripts

Success criterion 1.3.6 Identify Purpose [2.1 and 2.2]

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: FORMS

The purpose of regions and common elements must be defined in the code using semantic HTML or ARIA attributes, so that:

  • assistive technologies can communicate their meaning, and
  • browsers can adapt or simplify the interface (e.g. hide non-essential content).

Success criterion 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY ZOOM AND LEGIBILITY

Text contrast against its background must be at least:

  • 7:1 for normal text, or
  • 4.5:1 for large text (over 24px, or bold and over 19px)

Success criterion 1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY

For prerecorded audio with speech, any background sound must be:

  • at least 20dB lower than the speech, or
  • there must be a way to turn it off

Success criterion 1.4.8 Visual Presentation

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY ZOOM AND LEGIBILITY

Blocks of text (like paragraphs) must:

  • have a line height of at least 1.5,
  • not be justified, and
  • stay within 80 characters (or 40 for CJK scripts)

allow users to adjust spacing and colors using custom styles.

Success criterion 1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Perceivable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY ZOOM AND LEGIBILITY

Text must be actual text, not images of text (no exception, not even for design or aesthetic reasons).

Success criterion 2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: KEYBOARD

All functionality must be operable using a keyboard alone (no exception, not even for tasks involving gestures like drag-and-drop or pointer-based interaction).

Success criterion 2.2.3 No Timing

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: FORMS SENSORY

Content must not include time limits for reading or interaction, unless it's part of a live event or time-based activity (e.g. auctions, broadcasts).

Success criterion 2.2.4 Interruptions

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY

Interruptions (like pop-ups, alerts, or notifications) must be able to be:

  • delayed or suppressed, and
  • controlled,

except in emergencies (e.g. critical system warnings).

Success criterion 2.2.5 Re-authenticating

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: FORMS

If a logged-in session expires mid-way through a task, any data entered after expiry is kept, so that they don’t have to re-enter it when they log in again.

Success criterion 2.3.2 Three Flashes

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY

Content must not flash, blink, or flicker more than three times per second (no exception, not even if it meets safety thresholds).

Success criterion 2.3.3 Animation from Interactions [2.1 and 2.2]

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: SENSORY

Animations triggered by interaction (e.g. on click, hover, tap) must be possible to:

  • disable through system settings (e.g. "reduce motion"), or
  • turn off using a site-level option.

Success criterion 2.4.10 Section Headings

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: CODE AND LABELS

Related content must be organized into clear sections using headings.

Success criterion 2.4.8 Location

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: WHOLE SITE

It must be clear where you are within a set of pages (e.g. using breadcrumbs, highlighted menu items, or headings).

Success criterion 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: CODE AND LABELS WORDING

The purpose of each link must be clear:

  • from the link text alone
  • without relying on surrounding context.

Success criterion 2.5.5 Target Size [2.1 and 2.2]

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Operable

Assigned to the following themes: GESTURES

Targets for touch or mouse must be at least 44×44px, unless they are:

  • part of a sentence or block of text,
  • near another target with the same function that meets the size, or
  • in a context where size can't be increased

Success criterion 3.1.3 Unusual Words

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: WORDING

Unusual terms, jargon, or figurative language should be:

  • avoided when possible, or
  • explained the first time they appear

Success criterion 3.1.4 Abbreviations

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: WORDING

Abbreviations and acronyms should be:

  • avoided when possible, or
  • explained the first time they appear

Success criterion 3.1.5 Reading Level

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: WORDING

If content requires reading skills above lower secondary education (around 9th grade), provide:

  • a simpler version,
  • a summary,
  • a visual aid, or
  • a spoken version

to help with understanding.

Success criterion 3.1.6 Pronunciation

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: WORDING

If a word can be pronounced in different ways with different meanings, the intended meaning must be clarified to avoid confusion or ambiguity.

Success criterion 3.2.5 Change on Request

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: FORMS KEYBOARD

Major changes (like open dialog, navigate, submit) must only happen when explicitly requested.

Success criterion 3.3.5 Help

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: FORMS WORDING

Provide additional help (like text instructions, help links, or tooltips) when label alone might be ambiguous or confusing.

Success criterion 3.3.6 Error Prevention (All)

Level Level AAA, WCAG principle: Understandable

Assigned to the following themes: FORMS WORDING

Before submitting, all forms must allow:

  • reviewing the input,
  • correcting mistakes, or
  • confirming