‘Language of Page’ requires that each webpage has a default human language assigned.

Introduction

For both users who rely on conventional web browsers and those who prefer assistive technologies, assigned a webpage’s language is essential for understanding.

Among the benefits, text is rendered more accurately, screen readers will use the correct pronunciation rules and captions will load correctly.

How to Pass ‘Language of Page’

Set the default language of each webpage using the lang HTML attribute.

‘Language of Page’ Tips

Set the language in your site template so you only have to do this once (unless your website has pages in different languages).

If a webpage has content in more than one language, set the page to the language used most.

If a webpage uses multiple languages equally, set the page to the language used first.

When using English, be aware of the three options “en”, “en-gb” and “en-us”. If in doubt, stick with “en” as this lets users set their preference. 

See Also

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I'm Luke, I started Wuhcag in 2012 to help people like you get to grips with web accessibility. Check out my book, 'How to Meet the WCAG 2.0'.

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