WCAG 2.2 Checklist (Level AA)
A practical, plain-English checklist of the WCAG 2.2 AA success criteria — grouped by the four principles, with what to check and why. No jargon, no signup.
WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the bar most laws and contracts point to — the European Accessibility Act, most ADA-related claims, and public-sector rules around the world. It's organised under four principles, easy to remember as POUR: content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Work down each list below; a tool can confirm the automatable half in seconds (more on that further down).
1. Perceivable
Users must be able to perceive the content — through sight, sound, or assistive tech.
- Every image, icon, and control has a text alternative.Meaningful
alttext on informative images; emptyalt=""on decorative ones; labels on icon buttons. 1.1.1 - Video has captions and (where needed) audio description.Pre-recorded audio and video content is captioned. 1.2.2, 1.2.5
- Colour isn't the only way you convey meaning.Errors, links, and states use text or icons too — not just red/green. 1.4.1
- Text contrast is at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text).And UI components, icons, and graphs hit at least 3:1 against their background. 1.4.3, 1.4.11
- Content reflows and resizes without breaking.Readable at 200% zoom and on a 320px-wide screen, with no loss of content or horizontal scrolling. 1.4.4, 1.4.10
- Structure is in the markup, not just the visuals.Real headings, lists, landmarks, and table headers — so screen readers can follow the page. 1.3.1
- Custom text spacing doesn't clip content.Increasing line height and letter/word spacing doesn't cut anything off. 1.4.12
2. Operable
Every control must work — for keyboard, switch, and touch users, not just a mouse.
- Everything works with a keyboard, with no traps.You can reach and operate every control by Tab/Enter/arrows, and never get stuck. 2.1.1, 2.1.2
- There's a visible focus indicator.The focused element is clearly outlined as you tab through. 2.4.7
- Focus isn't hidden behind sticky headers or footers.New in 2.2When an element is focused, a fixed bar doesn't cover it. 2.4.11
- There's a way to skip repeated blocks.A "skip to content" link or proper landmarks so users can bypass the nav. 2.4.1
- Page titles and link text are descriptive.Each page has a unique, meaningful
<title>; links make sense out of context (no bare "click here"). 2.4.2, 2.4.4 - Moving content can be paused, and nothing flashes dangerously.Auto-playing/scrolling content is pausable; nothing flashes more than three times per second. 2.2.2, 2.3.1
- Touch targets are at least 24×24px.New in 2.2Or have enough spacing around them. 2.5.8
- Anything you drag has a simple tap/click alternative.New in 2.2Sliders, reordering, and drag-and-drop don't require a drag. 2.5.7
3. Understandable
Content and controls must be predictable and easy to operate without mistakes.
- The page language is set.
<html lang="en">(and marked for any other-language passages). 3.1.1, 3.1.2 - Navigation and naming are consistent.The same components appear in the same place and are labelled the same way across pages. 3.2.3, 3.2.4
- Forms have visible labels, clear errors, and suggestions.Every input is labelled; errors say what's wrong and how to fix it. 3.3.1, 3.3.2, 3.3.3
- Help is in a consistent place.New in 2.2Contact/help links sit in the same spot across pages. 3.2.6
- You don't re-ask for info already entered.New in 2.2Earlier answers are auto-filled or selectable, not retyped. 3.3.7
- Login doesn't rely on a memory or cognitive test.New in 2.2Password managers and paste work; no "remember this code" puzzles. 3.3.8
4. Robust
Content must work reliably with browsers and assistive technologies, now and later.
- Every UI component exposes a name, role, and value.Native elements or correct ARIA, so assistive tech knows what each control is and its state. 4.1.2
- Status messages are announced."Saved", "3 results", and error summaries reach screen readers without stealing focus. 4.1.3
- The markup is clean.Well-formed HTML and no duplicate
ids that confuse assistive tech. Best practice
Don't run this by hand
Loupe scans any page for the automatable half of this checklist — contrast, alt text, labels, ARIA, and more — and shows every issue in context with plain-English fixes. Free, runs locally in your browser.
Add Loupe to Chrome — freeAutomated testing catches a large share of issues, not every one — Loupe is a powerful first pass, not a replacement for manual review against the full list above.
FAQ
What's the difference between WCAG A, AA, and AAA?
A is the minimum, AA is the standard most laws and contracts require, and AAA is the strictest (rarely required site-wide). Aim for AA.
Is WCAG 2.2 a legal requirement?
It's the technical standard that regulations point to — the European Accessibility Act (in force 2025), Section 508 in the US, and the standard most ADA web claims are measured against. Conforming to 2.2 AA is the safe target.
Can I check all of this automatically?
No tool catches everything — things like meaningful alt text and logical reading order need human judgement. But automated scanning instantly catches a large share (contrast, missing labels, ARIA errors, and more), which is the fastest way to clear the bulk of issues. Loupe does exactly that.