WCAG 2.4.6 Headings and Labels That Describe

WCAG 2.4.6 judges wording, not existence

Many teams read this rule as "pages must have headings". It does not say that. It says that when you do use headings and labels, they must describe the topic or purpose of what they introduce. A page with no headings can pass 2.4.6. A page with ten headings called Section can fail it.

Whether headings are present and marked up in code is a separate question, handled by info and relationships. Whether a form gives labels at all is handled by labels or instructions. This rule only checks the words.

What counts as a heading or a label

Headings are the titles of sections of content, normally h1 to h6, but also any text that visually works as a heading.

Labels are the visible text that names a component: the text beside a form field, the words on a button, the caption of a toggle, the name on a tab. If a person reads it to know what a control is for, it is a label for this rule.

The rule applies to the visible words. Hidden accessible names are judged under other criteria, such as name, role and value.

Who relies on descriptive headings and labels

• Screen reader users jump through a list of headings, so each one has to make sense without the text under it.
• People with cognitive or learning disabilities use headings to understand how a page is organised and where they are.
• People with low vision scan headings at high zoom to find the part they need.
• Everyone filling in forms makes fewer mistakes when labels say exactly what to type.
• Translators and support teams also benefit, because clear headings make content easier to reuse.

Vague headings and labels we rewrite most

Not every short label fails. Submit on a one-field search form is clear. The test is whether a person would know what the control or section is for.

Before and after: a contact form

<h2>Form</h2>
<label for="a">Input</label>
<input id="a" type="text" autocomplete="name">
<button type="submit">Go</button>

<h2>Ask our support team</h2>
<label for="a">Your name</label>
<input id="a" type="text" autocomplete="name">
<button type="submit">Send question</button>

A quick 2.4.6 wcag review

This is a reading exercise. Content designers and editors are often better at it than developers.

1. Extract the outline. List all headings on the page with a heading viewer extension or a screen reader's heading list.
2. Read headings as a table of contents. Ask whether each heading, read alone, tells you what the section below it is about.
3. Spot duplicates. Flag headings that repeat word for word on the same page when the sections differ, such as several called Overview.
4. Walk the form fields. Tab through every field and read its visible label: does it say what to enter, without relying on placeholder text?
5. Check buttons and controls. Read the text of each button and control and confirm it describes the action, such as Send message rather than OK.
6. Note vague wording. Record each unclear heading or label with a suggested rewrite, since the fix is usually a few words.

Where this rule ends and its neighbours begin

A bold line that reads "Delivery options" but is coded as a paragraph passes this rule and fails 1.3.1. An h2 that reads "Info" passes 1.3.1 and fails this one. W3C explains the scope in Understanding Headings and Labels.