wcagc
Axe rule guides
html-has-langserious

Fix html-has-lang axe errors

The page does not declare its default language, so screen readers may choose the wrong pronunciation rules.

Affected users

Screen reader users, translation tools, and users with reading support software.

WCAG mapping

3.1.1 Language of Page (A)

Detection

wcagc reports missing or empty html lang attributes and maps them to WCAG 3.1.1.

Failing markup

<html>
  <body>...</body>
</html>

Fixed code

<html lang="en">
  <body>...</body>
</html>

Sources and standards

axe rule helpW3C understanding doc

FAQ

What if a page contains several languages?

Set the main page language on html, then mark passages in another language with their own lang attribute.

Is this only for screen readers?

No. Language metadata also helps browser features, translation, spell-checking, and search systems.

Scan the rest of the page

One rule rarely travels alone

Run a page through wcagc to find this rule, related WCAG issues, affected selectors, and manual checks that automation cannot judge.

Scan a page