WCAG 2.0 · Level AAA · Understandable
3.1.6 Pronunciation
Manual verification
How to validate 3.1.6 by hand
At Level AAA, check whether pronunciation support is available when a word’s meaning is ambiguous without knowing its pronunciation.
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.
- Identify words whose pronunciation changes their meaning or makes the intended meaning unclear.
- Check whether nearby text, a pronunciation guide, a glossary, or programmatic pronunciation information clarifies the word.
- Listen with the intended assistive technology and determine whether the meaning can be understood in context.
Evidence to record
Record the word, competing pronunciations/meanings, context, and the available pronunciation support.
Scope and exceptions
This applies only when the word is ambiguous without knowing its pronunciation. Do not flag ordinary unfamiliar words that remain clear from context.
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.