WCAG 2.0 · Level AAA · Understandable
3.1.4 Abbreviations
Manual verification
How to validate 3.1.4 by hand
At Level AAA, check whether abbreviations have a way to reveal their expanded form or meaning.
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.
- Find abbreviations and initialisms in page content, headings, and controls.
- Check the first occurrence and later occurrences for an expansion, definition, glossary entry, or other programmatic/visible explanation.
- Ask whether the meaning can be determined without relying on assumed domain knowledge.
Evidence to record
Record the abbreviation, the location of its explanation, and whether the expansion identifies the intended meaning.
Scope and exceptions
Some abbreviations have become common words or have a meaning clear from context. Evaluate the intended audience and meaning rather than expanding every short form mechanically.
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.