Understandable · Level AAA · Introduced in WCAG 2.0
WCAG 3.1.4: Abbreviations
Published by whatisADA / Grow Wild Agency · Updated
What this criterion means
At Level AAA, users can identify the expansion or meaning of abbreviations. This includes acronyms and shortened forms that may be familiar to the team but unfamiliar to a visitor.
A practical example
A procurement page introduces “Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)” before using ACR later. An adjacent glossary link supports visitors who enter the page at a later section.
How to check it
- List acronyms, initialisms and shortened forms in the content.
- Check that a usable mechanism reveals their expansion or intended meaning.
- Verify ambiguous abbreviations in context and test the mechanism without a mouse.
What can be missed
An abbr title may not be exposed consistently to touch and assistive-technology users. Plain-text expansion or a clearly linked glossary can be easier to discover and verify.
Record your test
Use this worksheet to record what you actually checked. Notes stay on this device when you choose Save; they are not sent to us. Avoid personal or confidential information on shared devices.
These are your observations, not automated results or a conformance certificate. A complete evaluation needs appropriate scope, supported technologies, all applicable criteria and relevant page states.
Primary sources and scope
This is independent implementation guidance with original examples. The linked standard contains the full definitions, exceptions and conformance requirements. A criterion or checklist alone does not establish legal applicability or whole-site conformance.