Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

2 PASS 6 REVIEW 5 FIX

Link & Button Quality

Action

21 issue(s) across 144 links and 25 buttons

FIX

21 issue(s) across 144 links and 25 buttons

3 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: a.featured-result (#115 on page); a.featured-result-word (#116 on page); /auth/admin

3 link(s) with generic text

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

Got: /dictionary/ ("Learn more"); /for-educators/ ("Learn more"); /privacy/ ("Learn more")

1 image-only link(s) without alt text

Image-only links need alt text on the image (or aria-label on the link) so screen readers can announce them.

Got: a[href="/"]

10 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: https://www.ixl.com/feedback/vocabularydotcom; https://www.facebook.com/vocabularycom/; https://x.com/VocabularyCom/; https://www.instagram.com/vocabcom/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocabulary-com/; https://www.ixl.com/feedback/vocabularydotcom; https://www.facebook.com/vocabularycom/; https://x.com/VocabularyCom/; https://www.instagram.com/vocabcom/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocabulary-com/

15 button(s) with no accessible text

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

Got: button.dot (#550 on page); button.dot (#551 on page); button.dot (#552 on page); button.dot (#553 on page); button.dot (#554 on page); button.dot (#555 on page); button.dot (#556 on page); button.dot (#557 on page); button.dot (#558 on page); button.dot (#559 on page) (+5 more)

127 link(s) with descriptive text

144 links

3 empty

3 generic text

10 new tab

15 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
/	Vocabulary.com	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/dictionary/	Learn more	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Learn more Suggested: Dictionary
/for-educators/	Learn more	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Learn more Suggested: For Educators
https://www.ixl.com/feedback/vocabularyd…	Tell us what you think	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/vocabularycom/	Facebook logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://x.com/VocabularyCom/	X.com logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.instagram.com/vocabcom/	Instagram logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocabul…	LinkedIn logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.ixl.com/feedback/vocabularyd…	Tell us what you think	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/vocabularycom/	Facebook logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://x.com/VocabularyCom/	X.com logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.instagram.com/vocabcom/	Instagram logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocabul…	LinkedIn logo	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/auth/admin	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/privacy/	Learn more	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Learn more Suggested: Privacy
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label

137 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

a.featured-result (#115 on page); a.featured-result-word (#116 on page); /auth/admin

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

/dictionary/ ("Learn more"); /for-educators/ ("Learn more"); /privacy/ ("Learn more")

Why this matters

Generic anchor text ('click here', 'read more', 'learn more') tells screen readers and search engines nothing about the destination.

Learn more ▾

Out-of-context lists of links read by AT (one navigation pattern) become useless when every link says 'click here'. Use the destination's title or topic as anchor text. Doubles as SEO win — Google passes anchor-text relevance to the destination.

Source: WCAG 2.4.4 / Google Search Central

Image-only links need alt text on the image (or aria-label on the link) so screen readers can announce them.

a[href="/"]

Why this matters

Image-only links with no alt are unidentifiable to screen-reader users — link's destination is invisible.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

https://www.ixl.com/feedback/vocabularydotcom; https://www.facebook.com/vocabularycom/; https://x.com/VocabularyCom/; https://www.instagram.com/vocabcom/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocabulary-com/; https://www.ixl.com/feedback/vocabularydotcom; https://www.facebook.com/vocabularycom/; https://x.com/VocabularyCom/; https://www.instagram.com/vocabcom/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocabulary-com/

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

button.dot (#550 on page); button.dot (#551 on page); button.dot (#552 on page); button.dot (#553 on page); button.dot (#554 on page); button.dot (#555 on page); button.dot (#556 on page); button.dot (#557 on page); button.dot (#558 on page); button.dot (#559 on page) (+5 more)

Why this matters

Buttons with no accessible text (icon-only, no aria-label) can't be activated by voice control or understood by screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

No web manifest found

No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Landmark Structure

Action

6 landmarks

REVIEW

6 landmarks

No <main> landmark found

Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.

4 <nav> landmark(s) found

4 of 4 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Skip navigation link present

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.

Why this matters

Without a <main> landmark, screen-reader users can't skip past the navigation to the page content — every page starts with re-reading the menu.

Learn more ▾

The <main> element marks the page's primary content area. Assistive tech offers a 'jump to main' shortcut — but only if <main> exists. Without it, every page navigation forces re-reading the header. Wrap your primary content in a single <main>.

Source: WAI-ARIA / WCAG 2.4.1

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

Heading Hierarchy

8 headings

REVIEW

8 headings

No H1 heading found

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

H2 A dictionary for learning
H2 A scientific and fun way to improve vocabulary
H2 A better way to teach words
H2 Success Stories
H3 Teachers and learners are doing amazing things with Vocabulary.com
H2 An award-winning teaching & learning experience
H2 Join the Vocabulary Bowl
H2 Sign up now (it’s free!)

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

Form Accessibility

Action

4 of 17 controls have issues

REVIEW

4 of 17 controls have issues

1 control(s) without accessible label

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

Got: <textarea name="g-recaptcha-response" id="g-recaptcha-response-100000">

3 control(s) rely on placeholder only

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

Got: <input type="text" name="query">; <input type="text" name="query">; <input type="text" id="newWordFinderInput">

13 control(s) properly labeled

17 controls

13 labeled

3 placeholder only

1 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#nounPart	checkbox	noun	for/id
#verbPart	checkbox	verb	for/id
#adjPart	checkbox	adjective	for/id
#advPart	checkbox	adverb	for/id
#syllableBetween	text	Between	for/id
#syllableAnd	text	and	for/id
#relationWord	text	Restrict to	for/id
#definitionContains	text	Definition contains	for/id
#rhymesWith	text	Rhymes with	for/id
#egOf	text	Example of	for/id
#endsWith	text	Ends with	for/id
#partsOf	text	Parts of	for/id
#typeOf	text	Type of	for/id
query	text	(Search words or vocabulary lists)	placeholder only
#newWordFinderInput	text	(Type a letter)	placeholder only
query	text	(Search words or vocabulary lists from books, exams or textbooks)	placeholder only
#g-recaptcha-response-100000	textarea	(none)	none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

Why this matters

Form controls without labels — assistive tech announces 'edit text' with no context; users can't complete forms.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

Why this matters

Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.

Learn more ▾

Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

Homepage link present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page Not Found | Vocabulary.com ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗

Favicon & Branding

4 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

4 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 17 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

3 pass 17 fail WCAG AA

h2 A dictionary for learning

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 A scientific and fun way to improve voca…

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 A better way to teach words

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Success Stories

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 An award-winning teaching & learning exp…

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Join the Vocabulary Bowl

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h2 Sign up now (it’s free!)

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

24px · bottom of viewport

h3 Teachers and learners are doing amazing …

2.38:1

#000000

#2C4D6A

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · bottom of viewport

title Vocabulary.com - Learn Words - English D…

2.48:1

#000000

#2D4D80

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a SKIP TO CONTENT

2.48:1

#000000

#2D4D80

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Log in

2.48:1

#000000

#2D4D80

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Sign up

2.12:1

#000000

#0039A4

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Dictionary

2.12:1

#000000

#0039A4

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Vocabulary Lists

2.12:1

#000000

#0039A4

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span VocabTrainer™

2.12:1

#000000

#0039A4

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

div Look up a word, learn it forever.

2.12:1

#000000

#0039A4

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

div Word Finder

3.56:1

#000000

#0A61C8

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

1 contrast failures on background images/gradients

These failures are invisible to CSS-based accessibility tools like Lighthouse. The text may be fine on a solid background, but fails when rendered over an image or gradient.

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 A dictionary for lea…	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h2 A scientific and fun…	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h2 A better way to teac…	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h2 Success Stories	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h2 An award-winning tea…	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h2 Join the Vocabulary …	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h2 Sign up now (it’s …	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
h3 Teachers and learner…	2.38:1	3.0:1	#000000	#2C4D6A	Fail
title Vocabulary.com - Lea…	2.48:1	4.5:1	#000000	#2D4D80	Fail
a SKIP TO CONTENT	2.48:1	4.5:1	#000000	#2D4D80	Fail
a Log in	2.48:1	4.5:1	#000000	#2D4D80	Fail
a Sign up	2.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0039A4	Fail
span Dictionary	2.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0039A4	Fail
span Vocabulary Lists	2.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0039A4	Fail
span VocabTrainer™	2.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0039A4	Fail
div Look up a word, lear…	2.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0039A4	Fail
div Word Finder	3.56:1	4.5:1	#000000	#0A61C8	Fail
div All	7.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#189EFF	Pass
div Dictionary	7.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#189EFF	Pass
div Vocabulary Lists	7.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#189EFF	Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 51 images OK

PASS

All 51 images OK

11 decorative image(s) correctly marked

40 image(s) with good alt text

51 images 40 good alt text 11 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 95/100 — 2 failing, 27 passed

PASS

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Log in `div.limited-width > nav.main > div.logininfo > a.login`
Sign up `div.limited-width > nav.main > div.logininfo > a.signup`
FOR LEARNERS `div.looking-for > section#improve-vocabulary > div.description > div.label`
FOR EDUCATORS `div.looking-for > section#teach-words > div.description > div.label`
Learn more `div.looking-for > section#teach-words > div.description > a.explore-more`
Administrators `div.box-vocab-home-testimonials > div.box-testimonial-app > div.box-testimonial-filters > button.btn-filter-administrators`
Teachers `div.box-vocab-home-testimonials > div.box-testimonial-app > div.box-testimonial-filters > button.btn-filter-teachers`
Learners `div.box-vocab-home-testimonials > div.box-testimonial-app > div.box-testimonial-filters > button.btn-filter-learners`
Put your school on the map `div#page > div#pageContent > div.bowl-signup > div.label`
Get involved `div#pageContent > div.bowl-signup > div.stats > a.button`
Get started `div#page > div#pageContent > div.bowl-signup > a.button`
I Agree `div.cookie-privacy-banner > div.limited-width > p > a.button`

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Best practices

One main landmark helps screen reader users navigate a web page. Learn more about landmarks.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
html `html`

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

●`[role]` values are valid

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●Form elements have associated labels

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

●Links have a discernible name

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●Identical links have the same purpose.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

○Input buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○Skip links are focusable.

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○All heading elements contain content.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.