The page must declare its language

Rule html-lang · Document, language & navigation · impact serious · Static + live

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Why it matters#

Without <html lang>, screen readers guess the language and may read the page with the wrong pronunciation rules, making it hard to understand.

How to fix#

Add lang to the <html> element with the language most of the page is written in, e.g. <html lang="en"> or <html lang="he">. Nothing else counts: xml:lang, a <meta http-equiv="content-language">, or lang on <body> are ignored by browsers and screen readers in an HTML document. In a CMS, set it once in the base template so every page inherits it, and let a page in another language carry its own value.

Example#

<html><body>Hi</body></html>

<html lang="en"><body>Hi</body></html>

Example#

<html xml:lang="en"><body>Hi</body></html>

<html lang="en" xml:lang="en"><body>Hi</body></html>

WCAG success criteria#

3.1.1 Language of Page — Level A#

The default human language of the page must be set programmatically (<html lang>).

Understanding 3.1.1

Standards#

This rule contributes to the following standards:

WCAG A EN 301 549 Trusted Tester ACT

References#

• WCAG — Language of Page