WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2: Labels or Instructions (Level A)
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A) — what it requires, a common failure example, and how to fix it. Part of WCAG 2.1's 3.3 Input Assistance guideline under the Understandable principle.
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3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A)
Input Assistance is the guideline most directly relevant to checkout and account forms — it governs whether people can tell what a field wants, whether errors are described clearly, and whether a costly mistake (an accidental purchase, a wrong shipping address) can be caught before it’s final.
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: Every field that needs user input has to have a label or instructions describing what’s expected — format, requirements, anything the user needs to fill it in correctly.
Common failure: A form uses placeholder text inside the input as the only label (e.g. “Card number” printed inside the field itself). It disappears the moment the user starts typing and often isn’t exposed to screen readers as a real label at all.
Remediation: Use a persistent <label> element associated with each field via for/id, and add instructions (format, required-ness) as visible text near the field, not only inside a disappearing placeholder.
In this guideline — 3.3 Input Assistance: 3.3.1 Error Identification (A) · 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (A) · 3.3.3 Error Suggestion (AA) · 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) (AA) · 3.3.5 Help (AAA) · 3.3.6 Error Prevention (All) (AAA)
← Previous: 3.3.1 Error Identification (A) · Next: 3.3.3 Error Suggestion (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.