What WCAG 1.4.8 Requires
AAA only: for blocks of text, visitors must be able to control foreground/background colors, width, spacing and justification for a more comfortable reading experience.
New to this criterion? Read our plain-English guide, WCAG 1.4.8 Visual Presentation Explained in Plain English, with examples and code.
Can AccessBell Test This Automatically?
Not fully. Like most WCAG criteria that depend on meaning or context, this one needs a person to judge. AccessBell's report lists it for manual review rather than marking it pass or fail automatically, so it never gets missed.
How to Test It by Hand
Check whether the site offers reading customization controls, or whether its default styling already meets the listed AAA sub-requirements.
Common Failures
- Long-form article text is fully justified, creating uneven word spacing that is harder for some readers to parse.
Related Criteria in Distinguishable
WCAG 1.4.8 Questions
What does WCAG 1.4.8 require?
AAA only: for blocks of text, visitors must be able to control foreground/background colors, width, spacing and justification for a more comfortable reading experience.
Can AccessBell test WCAG 1.4.8 automatically?
Not fully. This criterion needs a person to judge, so AccessBell's report lists it for manual review rather than marking it pass or fail on its own.
What level is WCAG 1.4.8?
Level AAA, added in WCAG 2.0. Level AAA is the highest, most demanding conformance level in WCAG.
Sources
- W3C: Understanding 1.4.8 Visual Presentation (opens in a new tab)
- W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 (opens in a new tab)
This page explains a technical standard and is not legal advice. See our disclaimer.