HTML and XHTML
This technique relates to:
The objective of this technique is to provide expansions or definitions for
abbreviations by using the abbr
and acronym
elements.
It is always appropriate to use the abbr
element for any abbreviation,
including acronyms and initialisms. When using HTML and XHTML,
initialisms and acronyms may be marked up using the acronym
element.
Versions of HTML after HTML 4 eliminate the acronym
element in favor of the more general
abbr
element.
Example Code:
<p>Sugar is commonly sold in 5 <abbr title="pound">lb.<abbr> bags.</p>
<p>Welcome to the <abbr title="World Wide Web">WWW</abbr>!</p>
Example Code:
<p>Tasini <abbr title="and others">et al.</abbr> <abbr title="versus">v.</abbr>
The New York Times <abbr title="and others">et al.</abbr> is the landmark lawsuit
brought by members of the National Writers Union against ......</p>
Example Code:
<p>The use of <acronym title="Keep It Simple Stupid">KISS</acronym> became popular in ...</p>
Example Code:
<p><acronym title="World Wide Web">WWW</acronym></p>
Resources are for information purposes only, no endorsement implied.
Check that an expansion or definition is provided for each abbreviation via
abbr
or acronym
.
Check #1 is true.
If this is a sufficient technique for a success criterion, failing this test procedure does not necessarily mean that the success criterion has not been satisfied in some other way, only that this technique has not been successfully implemented and can not be used to claim conformance.
Techniques are informative—that means they are not required. The basis for determining conformance to WCAG 2.0 is the success criteria from the WCAG 2.0 standard—not the techniques. For important information about techniques, please see the Understanding Techniques for WCAG Success Criteria section of Understanding WCAG 2.0.