Reference
WCAG 2.2 level AA success criteria
WCAG 2.2 has 24 success criteria at level AA, on top of the 31 at level A, and conforming at AA means satisfying all 55. The AA set covers live captions and audio description, orientation, input purpose, contrast for text and for interface components, resizing, reflow, text spacing, content on hover, multiple ways to find pages, descriptive headings, visible focus, focus not obscured, dragging alternatives, a 24-pixel minimum target size, language of parts, consistency, error suggestion and prevention, accessible authentication and status messages.
| Criterion | Name | What it requires | In a scan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2.4 | Captions (Live) | Live audio in synchronized media has captions. | Not tested. |
| 1.2.5 | Audio Description (Prerecorded) | Prerecorded video in synchronized media has an audio description. | Not tested. |
| 1.3.4 | Orientation | Content does not restrict its view and operation to one display orientation unless that orientation is essential. | Not tested. |
| 1.3.5 | Identify Input Purpose | The purpose of fields collecting information about the user can be determined programmatically when it is one of the listed input purposes. | Partial — accessibility.autocomplete checks for a token on fields whose purpose it can infer. |
| 1.4.3 | Contrast (Minimum) | Text and images of text have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, or 3:1 for large-scale text, with listed exceptions. | Not tested — accessibility.contrast needs computed colours and reports that a browser is required. |
| 1.4.4 | Resize Text | Text can be resized up to 200 percent without assistive technology and without loss of content or functionality. | Partial — mobile.viewport flags a viewport that disables zoom or caps it below 2×. |
| 1.4.5 | Images of Text | Text is used to convey information rather than images of text, unless customisable or essential. | Not tested. |
| 1.4.10 | Reflow | Content reflows without loss and without two-dimensional scrolling at a width of 320 CSS pixels, or a height of 256 for horizontal content. | Risk indicator only — mobile.content_width reports hard-coded widths; real overflow needs a browser. |
| 1.4.11 | Non-text Contrast | User interface components and meaningful graphics have a contrast of at least 3:1 against adjacent colours. | Not tested. |
| 1.4.12 | Text Spacing | No content or function is lost when line height, paragraph, letter and word spacing are increased to the stated values. | Not tested. |
| 1.4.13 | Content on Hover or Focus | Content shown on hover or focus can be dismissed, can be hovered, and stays visible until dismissed or no longer relevant. | Not tested. |
| 2.4.5 | Multiple Ways | More than one way is available to locate a page within a set of pages, except for steps in a process. | Not tested. |
| 2.4.6 | Headings and Labels | Headings and labels describe their topic or purpose. | Not tested. |
| 2.4.7 | Focus Visible | Any keyboard-operable interface has a mode in which the keyboard focus indicator is visible. | Not tested — accessibility.focus_visible needs a layout engine and issues no verdict. |
| 2.4.11 | Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | A component receiving keyboard focus is not entirely hidden by author-created content. | Not tested. |
| 2.5.7 | Dragging Movements | Functions that use dragging can be achieved with a single pointer without dragging, unless dragging is essential. | Not tested. |
| 2.5.8 | Target Size (Minimum) | Pointer targets are at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, with exceptions for spacing, equivalents, inline targets and essential presentation. | Not tested — mobile.touch_targets reports that rendered sizes need a browser. |
| 3.1.2 | Language of Parts | The human language of each passage or phrase can be determined programmatically, with listed exceptions. | Not tested. |
| 3.2.3 | Consistent Navigation | Navigation repeated across pages appears in the same relative order unless the user changes it. | Partial — structure.navigation compares the navigation of the crawled pages. |
| 3.2.4 | Consistent Identification | Components with the same function across pages are identified consistently. | Not tested. |
| 3.3.3 | Error Suggestion | When an input error is detected and a correction is known, the suggestion is given to the user, unless it compromises security or purpose. | Not tested. |
| 3.3.4 | Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | Submissions with legal, financial or data consequences are reversible, checked, or confirmed. | Not tested. |
| 3.3.8 | Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | No step of an authentication process requires a cognitive function test unless an alternative, a mechanism or a listed exception applies. | Not tested. |
| 4.1.3 | Status Messages | Status messages can be determined programmatically so assistive technologies can announce them without moving focus. | Not tested. |
Why AA is the level most requirements name
Level AA adds the criteria that make content usable for a much wider group: people with low vision, who need contrast and resizing; people using a keyboard, who need to see where focus is; people on small screens, who need content that reflows; people with cognitive disabilities, who need consistent navigation and forms that help them.
A page conforms at AA only when it meets every level A and every level AA criterion. AA is not a separate list to satisfy instead of A.
Four AA criteria are new in WCAG 2.2: 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum).
The criteria that need a rendered page
Contrast, reflow, text spacing, visible focus, focus not obscured and target size are properties of the page as a browser draws it: computed colours, box sizes, the viewport, the focused state. None of them can be read reliably from HTML and CSS source, because the final result depends on the cascade, the fonts, the images behind the text and the script that runs.
The scan does not simulate a layout engine, so for 1.4.3, 2.4.7 and 2.5.8 its checks report that a browser is required rather than guessing. For 1.4.10 it reports hard-coded widths wider than a phone as a risk indicator, not as a measured overflow.
Those criteria are best tested in a real browser, with the developer tools' contrast and focus inspectors or an automated engine running in the page, and then by hand.
What the scan does observe at this level
`accessibility.autocomplete` looks for an autocomplete token on fields whose purpose it can infer from their type, name, id or placeholder, which is one part of 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose.
`mobile.viewport` flags a viewport meta tag that disables zoom or limits it below twice the initial scale, a direct cause of failing 1.4.4 Resize Text on phones.
`structure.navigation` compares the navigation of the crawled pages, which bears on 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation, although deciding whether a difference is a user-initiated change is left to a person.
Everything else at AA — descriptive headings, error suggestions, authentication without a cognitive test, status messages announced to assistive technology — needs a person, or at least a running page.
Frequently asked questions
- What contrast ratio does WCAG 2.2 AA require?
- 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large-scale text under 1.4.3, and 3:1 for interface components and meaningful graphics against adjacent colours under 1.4.11. Incidental text, logos and inactive components are excepted.
- What is new at AA in WCAG 2.2?
- Four criteria: 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), which sets a 24 by 24 CSS pixel minimum with exceptions, and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum).
- Does meeting AA require meeting level A?
- Yes. Conformance at level AA means every level A and every level AA criterion is satisfied, 55 criteria in WCAG 2.2.
Sources
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