Pronunciation
Summary:
WCAG 3.1.6, "Pronunciation," addresses the need for clarity in pronunciation to aid understanding, particularly beneficial for users with cognitive disabilities, learning disabilities, and those who are not native speakers of the content's language.
What:
This guideline mandates that when the meaning of words or phrases in the content depends on their pronunciation, a mechanism should be provided to identify or explain the correct pronunciation.
Why:
Correct pronunciation can be crucial for understanding content, especially when a word's meaning changes based on how it's pronounced. Providing pronunciation guidance helps users comprehend the text accurately.
Examples and Scenarios:
- Educational Content: Pronunciation guides for foreign language learning materials.
- Read-Aloud Tools: Ensuring read-aloud tools correctly pronounce words with multiple meanings based on pronunciation.
- Homophones in Text: Clarifying the meaning of homophones (words that sound the same but have different meanings) in written content.
How to Comply:
- Websites: Offer pronunciation guides, phonetic spelling, or audio clips to clarify pronunciation.
- Mobile Apps: Incorporate features that allow users to hear the pronunciation of critical words.
- Software Applications: In applications, especially educational or language-based ones, include pronunciation tools or explanations.
Exceptions:
- Common Pronunciations: Words with widely known pronunciations may not require additional explanation.
- Contextually Clear Pronunciation: In contexts where the pronunciation is clear from the surrounding content, additional mechanisms may not be necessary.
- Technical Limitations: In some cases, technical constraints might make it challenging to provide pronunciation guidance, especially in dynamically generated content.