WCAG 2.1 SC 3.1.1: Language of Page (Level A)
3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A) — what it requires, a common failure example, and how to fix it. Part of WCAG 2.1's 3.1 Readable guideline under the Understandable principle.
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3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A)
Readable is about making the language of your content programmatically identifiable, so screen readers pronounce it correctly and translation/reading tools work as intended. Most sites clear the Level A bar here with a single HTML attribute; the AAA criteria go further, into content clarity, that most sites won’t target.
This page is educational technical reference material, not legal advice. Meeting WCAG 2.1 does not by itself determine legal compliance with the ADA or any other law — consult qualified counsel for legal risk questions.
Plain-language explanation: The page’s primary language needs to be set in code, not just implied by the words on it. This is what lets a screen reader switch to the correct pronunciation engine and lets browser translation tools work correctly.
Common failure: The <html> element has no lang attribute, or it’s set incorrectly (e.g. lang="en" on a page that’s actually in Spanish). A screen reader defaults to its own configured language and reads foreign text with the wrong pronunciation rules — an English-language screen reader reading French product descriptions as if they were English words.
Remediation: Add lang="en" (or the correct BCP 47 language code) to the <html> tag, site-wide, ideally set once in your base template rather than per-page.
In this guideline — 3.1 Readable: 3.1.1 Language of Page (A) · 3.1.2 Language of Parts (AA) · 3.1.3 Unusual Words (AAA) · 3.1.4 Abbreviations (AAA) · 3.1.5 Reading Level (AAA) · 3.1.6 Pronunciation (AAA)
Next: 3.1.2 Language of Parts (AA) →
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This page is educational content about technical accessibility practice, not legal advice. Meeting WCAG 2.1 does not guarantee legal compliance with the ADA or any other law. Consult qualified counsel for legal risk questions.
This page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person for accuracy before publication.