3.1.1: Language of Page

What it means

The default human language of each page must be set in code so assistive technology can pronounce text correctly. Use the lang attribute on the html element.

Wrong language causes screen readers to use the wrong voice rules.

How to fix it

• Set lang on html (for example lang=“en” or lang=“en-AU”).
• Match the attribute to the majority language of page content.
• Update lang when publishing translated versions of pages.
• Do not omit lang — browsers and screen readers fall back unpredictably.

Quick examples

• Good: An Australian English site uses html lang=“en-AU”.
• Bad: A French page has no lang attribute and is read with English pronunciation.
• Good: Language is set even on minimal error and login pages.
• Bad: lang=“en” is hard-coded while the page content is entirely Spanish.