1.4.12 Text Spacing (Level AA) — WCAG 2.1
WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.12 Text Spacing (Level AA): what it requires, a common e-commerce accessibility failure, and how to fix it.
This is educational technical reference content, not legal advice. It explains what WCAG 2.1 requires and how to meet it — not whether a specific site carries legal risk. Compliance with WCAG, the ADA, or any other accessibility law or standard is a legal determination; consult qualified counsel for legal risk assessment.
WCAG 2.1 guidelines hub → Perceivable → 1.4.12 Text Spacing
1.4.12 Text Spacing (Level AA)
What it requires: No loss of content or function when a user applies wider line height (1.5x), paragraph spacing (2x), letter spacing (0.12x), and word spacing (0.16x) than default — this matters for readers with certain cognitive or visual conditions who override spacing with a browser extension.
Common failure: A product card with a fixed-height container clips or overlaps text once a user’s browser extension applies the wider spacing values this criterion requires supporting.
Fix it: Avoid fixed-height text containers; let containers grow with content, and test the page with a text-spacing bookmarklet or browser extension that applies WCAG’s specified values.
In 1.4 Distinguishable: ← 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast · 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus →
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This is educational technical reference content, not legal advice. It explains what WCAG 2.1 requires and how to meet it — not whether a specific site carries legal risk. Compliance with WCAG, the ADA, or any other accessibility law or standard is a legal determination; consult qualified counsel for legal risk assessment.
This page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person for accuracy before publication.