Operable · 2.4 Navigable
The purpose of each link must be clear from its link text alone, or from the link text together with its programmatically determined context, such as its sentence, paragraph, list item or table cell. Links whose purpose would be ambiguous to users in general are exempt.
Live demo
The same task, done two ways: switch between the version that passes and the one that fails, or put them side by side. Everything in the box is live, so try it with a keyboard, a pointer or a screen reader.
Open the links view to hear the links on their own, the way many screen reader users scan a page. Then read the whole version to see what surrounds each link.
Unions and train operators reached a deal late on Sunday night.
The council voted to add protected lanes on three main roads.
The central library will open from 10am to 4pm on Sundays from May.
The central library will open from 10am to 4pm on Sundays from May.
The tools follow the version you last used.
What happened
Why it passes
Each link still shows Read more, but its full text continues with hidden words, such as Read more about the rail strike, so a list of links says where each one goes.
Why it fails
The links list reads Read more three times. Nothing in each link's own sentence or paragraph says which story it opens, so a screen reader user has to guess or go back and read around it.
Examples
Five examples, each one running: the usual ways this criterion fails, and code that passes. Listen to them, measure them, or copy the code.
Fails
Live preview
<h2>Rail strike called off</h2><p>Unions and train operators reached a deal late on Sunday night.</p><p><a href="/news/rail-strike">Read more</a></p>The link sits alone in its own paragraph, so nothing in its own sentence or paragraph says where it goes. In a list of links, several of these all read Read more.
Passes
Live preview
<ul> <li>Rail strike called off: unions and operators agreed a deal on Sunday. <a href="/news/rail-strike">Read more</a></li> <li>New cycle lanes approved on three main roads. <a href="/news/cycle-lanes">Read more</a></li></ul>The link text is vague, but each link shares a list item with a summary of the story it opens, and 2.4.4 accepts purpose shown by the enclosing list item (technique H77). It would still fail the stricter 2.4.9.
Passes
Live preview
<style> .visually-hidden { position: absolute; width: 1px; height: 1px; overflow: hidden; clip-path: inset(50%); white-space: nowrap; }</style><p><a href="/news/rail-strike">Read more<span class="visually-hidden"> about the rail strike</span></a></p>The visible text stays short while the link's full text becomes Read more about the rail strike (technique C7). The class clips the words visually; display: none would hide them from screen readers too.
+ aria-label="Basket, 2 items"
Fails
Live preview
<a href="/basket"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="24" height="24" aria-hidden="true"> <path d="M3 4h2l2 11h11l2-8H6"/> </svg></a>The link holds only a hidden picture, so it has no accessible name. A screen reader can only announce it as a link, perhaps with its web address (failure F89).
Passes
Live preview
<a href="/basket" aria-label="Basket, 2 items"> <svg viewBox="0 0 24 24" width="24" height="24" aria-hidden="true"> <path d="M3 4h2l2 11h11l2-8H6"/> </svg></a>aria-label gives the link a name that says where it goes (technique ARIA8). The icon is hidden from assistive technology, so it is not announced as a separate image.
Why it matters
Screen reader users often navigate by a list of links, and people with cognitive or motor disabilities want to know where a link goes before following it. Vague link text wastes their effort and leads to mistakes.
W3C: Understanding 2.4.4Level A
Level A is the minimum: failing it can shut some people out completely.
Where it is required
Required where the law names WCAG 2.0 or later at this level: the United States, Canada, the European Union, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Norway, Switzerland, India, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Israel.
How to test
A few concrete steps. Automated tools find some failures; most need a person.
Common failures