WCAG 2.1 · Level AA · Perceivable
1.4.12 Text Spacing
Manual verification
How to validate 1.4.12 by hand
Apply the specified text-spacing overrides and check that content and controls remain available.
Start with the extension result
Reopen the reported URL and reproduce the same state (for example, after expanding a menu or submitting a form). Use the result’s Highlight action when available, or its affected-element details and CSS selector, to find the reported content. Apply the checks below to that content and its context. If the element or state has changed, rescan and record that difference before deciding whether the finding still applies.
- Set line height to 1.5 times font size, paragraph spacing to 2 times font size, letter spacing to 0.12 times font size, and word spacing to 0.16 times font size.
- Apply the overrides to representative pages, including navigation, dialogs, form errors, and long text.
- Check for clipped, overlapped, hidden, or truncated text and ensure all functionality still works.
Evidence to record
Record which override caused a loss and the exact affected text or control.
Scope and exceptions
The test applies all specified spacing values simultaneously. It does not require the site to use those defaults; it checks that the user can apply them without loss.
Record the review outcome
- Confirmed: the recorded evidence shows the requirement is not met in the tested page state, and no applicable exception explains it.
- Not reproduced: the reported issue is absent in the current state. Record the URL, state, and affected element you checked; this does not prove other pages or states conform.
- Needs more review: evidence is incomplete, the content requires human judgment, or an exception is uncertain. Record what remains to be checked instead of treating it as a pass.