Component Library
Abbreviations
Issue Description
Abbreviations are not necessarily clear to all users, especially with technical or complex content, and not spelling them out at least the first time on a page can cause confusion and prevent users from understanding the content. Avoid the use of abbreviations when possible. Screen reader users will only receive this formatting information if they are using a braille display.
- Abbreviations (like Dr for Doctor) also include acronyms (NATO) and initialisms (FBI).
- Content uses ALL CAPS style, which the screen reader attempts to announce as a word instead of as an abbreviation.
Recommendation
Avoid using abbreviations, acronyms or initialisms where possible, and explain them when necessary (sometimes it may be necessary in assessment content to NOT spell out an acronym). Modern mixed-case acronyms can cause assistive technology to recognize them more inconsistently and highlight the need to accurately define them. Avoid using ALL CAPS, as many screen readers will attempt to announce as acronyms. If you need to use an abbreviation, you can explain the meaning to your users by:
- Showing the meaning in context the first time on a page (for example, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)) with no additional coding required; or
- Linking the abbreviation to a definition on a glossary page on your website; or
- Linking the abbreviation to a definition footnote on the same page; or
- Using the <abbr> abbreviation HTML tag to expand the abbreviation with a <abbr role="tooltip" title="Job Access With Speech">JAWS</abbr>
Note: If the <title> attribute is specified, it must contain an expansion of the abbreviation, and nothing more. Understanding Success Criterion 3.1.4: Abbreviations