Abbreviations

About

Version:	WCAG 2.0 and up
Number:	3.1.4
Level:	AAA
Applicability:	Text
Requirement:	A mechanism for identifying the expanded form or meaning of abbreviations is available.
Guidance:	Understanding Success Criterion 3.1.4 How to meet Success Criterion 3.1.4
Techniques:	G55: Linking to definitions G62: Providing a glossary G70: Providing a function to search an online dictionary G97: Providing the first use of an abbreviation immediately before or after the expanded form G102: Providing the expansion or explanation of an abbreviation H28: Providing definitions for abbreviations by using the abbr element H60: Using the link element to link to a glossary

Purpose

The purpose of this success criterion is to ensure that users with cognitive and learning disabilities have easy access to the expanded form of abbreviations to simplify their reading experience.

How to Meet

Authors should provide the expanded form of a term or name followed by its abbreviation in parentheses the first time the term or name is used.

Authors can also use the HTML abbr element for abbreviations or use links to a glossary to provide the definition.

KB Topics

The following knowledge base pages provide more information about how to address this success criterion for publishing content:

Abbreviations