Understandable / 3.3 Input Assistance
3.3.2Labels or Instructions
Level AEvery form control that asks for input needs a label or instruction telling users what is expected. Placeholder text disappears once typing starts and is not reliably announced by assistive technology, so it cannot substitute for a real label. When a field is required or expects a specific format (such as a four-digit year), state that explicitly too.
Note
A detailed commentary for this success criterion is not yet available. In the meantime, this page lists related patterns, techniques, and links to the normative sources.
Related Techniques
Specific implementation techniques for meeting this success criterion. This site doesn't include the full text, so follow the links to the original W3C documents.
Sufficient Techniques(14)
Show all (14)
- ARIA1: Using the aria-describedby property to provide a descriptive label for user interface controls(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- ARIA9: Using aria-labelledby to concatenate a name from several text nodes(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- ARIA17: Using grouping roles to identify related form controls(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- G83: Providing text descriptions to identify required fields that were not completed(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- G89: Providing expected data format and example(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- G131: Providing descriptive labels(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- G162: Positioning labels to maximize predictability of relationships(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- G167: Using an adjacent button to label the purpose of a field(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- G184: Providing text instructions at the beginning of a form or set of fields that describes the necessary input(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- H44: Using label elements to associate text labels with form controls(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- H71: Providing a description for groups of form controls using fieldset and legend elements(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- H90: Indicating required form controls using label or legend(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- PDF5: Indicating required form controls in PDF forms(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
- PDF10: Providing labels for interactive form controls in PDF documents(opens in a new tab)waic.jp(opens in a new tab)
Advisory Techniques(1)
Normative References
- Success Criterion 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions — WCAG 2.2(opens in a new tab)The normative requirement text.
- Understanding Labels or Instructions — W3C(opens in a new tab)Official guidance on intent, examples, and techniques.