← All rules

Structure

<dt> and <dd> must sit inside a definition list

• Rule: dlitem
• Severity: Serious
• WCAG level A

Why it matters

Outside a <dl> these elements carry no meaning at all — the term/definition pairing exists only inside the list.

How to fix it

1. Wrap the pairs in a <dl>.
2. Keep any grouping <div> inside the <dl>, not around it.

In markup

<div>
  <dt>VAT</dt>
  <dd>Value added tax</dd>
</div>

<dl>
  <dt>VAT</dt>
  <dd>Value added tax</dd>
</dl>

The requirement behind it

This rule is one way of failing the following WCAG 2.2 success criteria. The W3C, which writes the standard, explains each of them:

• 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (opens in new tab) — WCAG level A

Further reading

Deque University on dlitem (opens in new tab)

Deque maintains axe-core, the open-source engine our scanner runs. Their page documents the rule as the engine implements it.

Automated checks find failures a browser can prove. They cannot judge whether a caption is accurate, whether an alt text is useful, or whether a page can be operated end to end with a keyboard — those need a person.