Field guide · reference
WCAG 2.2 AA checklist
A practical checklist for meeting WCAG 2.2 Level AA: the criteria that show up most in real audits, grouped under the four principles the standard is built on.
Last reviewed 26 September 2026
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Perceivable
- Images have alt text
Add an alt attribute to every <img>. Decorative images use alt="".
- Video has captions
Add closed captions to pre-recorded video with dialogue.
- Color is not the only indicator
Pair color with an icon, text label, or pattern.
- Text contrast is 4.5:1 minimum
Check with browser devtools or a contrast checker; 3:1 for large text.
- Text resizes to 200% without loss
Use relative units (rem, em), not fixed px, for text.
Operable
- All functionality works by keyboard
Tab through the whole page. Every control must be reachable and usable.
- No keyboard traps
Focus must be able to leave every component, including custom widgets.
- Skip navigation link
The first focusable element is a "Skip to main content" link.
- Page has a descriptive title
Each page has a unique, descriptive <title>.
- Focus order is logical
Tab order follows the visual layout. No jumps that ignore reading order.
- Focus indicators are visible
Focused elements keep a visible outline or ring; never outline: none with nothing in its place.
Understandable
- Page language is declared
Set the lang attribute on <html>.
- Error messages identify the field
Show the error next to the field, not only in a banner at the top.
- Labels on every form input
Every input has a visible <label> with a matching htmlFor.
- Error suggestions are provided
Tell the user what to fix, not only that a field is wrong.
Robust
- ARIA roles are used correctly
Custom components expose the right role, state, and value.
- Status messages are announced
Errors, progress, and success are exposed to assistive tech without stealing focus.
Automate what's automatable
Personaudit crawls your site and runs axe-core at every state it reaches, deterministic and citable checks against these criteria. Persona notes measure task success; they never produce an accessibility finding.