Valid language tag in the lang attribute
Last updated:
How to fix this issue?
Use a valid BCP 47 language tag in the lang attribute. A language tag consists of a primary language subtag and an optional region subtag:
CORRECT:
primary language only
<html lang="en">
CORRECT:
language and region
<html lang="en-US">
<html lang="nl-NL">
<html lang="fr-FR">
BAD:
invalid BCP 47 tag on inline elements
<p lang="english">This is in English.</p>
<p lang="Dutch">Dit is in het Nederlands.</p>
<p lang="EN_US">Mix of English.</p>
Common valid language tags:
en: Englishnl: Dutchde: Germanfr: Frenches: Spanishpt-BR: Brazilian Portuguese
You can also apply the lang attribute to individual elements when part of the page uses a different language:
<p>This is in English.</p>
<p lang="nl">Dit is in het Nederlands.</p>
Why is this important?
Screen readers use the lang attribute to select the correct voice, pronunciation rules, and dictionary. An invalid language tag causes the screen reader to use the wrong language settings, making the text hard or impossible to understand for the user.
More info:
Rule info
Standard
WCAG AA SC 3.1.2
User impact
Serious impact Significantly hinders users with disabilities. Should be fixed as a high priority. Critical : blocks access entirely Serious : significantly hinders use Moderate : causes difficulty Minor : minimal disruptionFix complexity
Medium level of technical expertise required To resolve this issue, you might need some technical background. It is possible to fix this issue without needing a software developer. This depends on the Content Management System (CMS) that your website is built with.Affects
Visual People with vision related disabilities can include those with color blindness, low vision, or complete blindness. Providing alternative text (also known as alt text) for graphical content is especially important for these individuals, as it allows assistive technologies such as screen readers to describe the content to them.
Free Website Accessibility Audit
Was this article helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!