WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.12, Text Spacing, is a Level AA requirement: content survives increased text spacing.
Read the criterion in the W3C Recommendation, WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).
How BearScan checks it
Content survives increased text spacing
Checked automatically: loads the page in a browser. Severity: medium. Readers with dyslexia often override spacing. If the layout clips or overlaps when they do, the text they adjusted becomes unreadable.
An approximation: The rendered page is measured, then measured again with the criterion's overrides applied (line height 1.5 times the font size, paragraph spacing 2 times, letter spacing 0.12 times, word spacing 0.16 times). Text that is cut off by a container that clips it, or that overlaps other text, and did not before, fails. Overlap is judged line by line, from the rendered text nodes (a link that wraps has one box per line, not one box covering what lies between; text hidden from sight, such as a visually-hidden note inside a link, is not rendered text). It is measured twice: only what both measurements find fails, and a page whose two measurements differ asks for review. Up to 700 text elements are compared; content that only moves out of view without being clipped or overlapped is not counted as lost. axe-core's avoid-inline-spacing finds inline styles that lock spacing and is folded in.
How to fix it. Avoid fixed heights on text containers and do not set letter-, word- or line-spacing with !important inline styles; let containers grow with their content.
All WCAG 2.2 criteria · Next: 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
Questions
Is WCAG 1.4.12 required by the ADA?
The ADA doesn't name a technical standard for businesses, but the Justice Department's 2022 guidance points businesses to WCAG, and its 2024 rule for state and local governments adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA, which includes 1.4.12.
Can an automated tool check WCAG 1.4.12?
Mostly. BearScan checks it automatically (loads the page in a browser). A clean result still isn't proof every page passes, only the pages scanned.
How do I fix a WCAG 1.4.12 failure?
Avoid fixed heights on text containers and do not set letter-, word- or line-spacing with !important inline styles; let containers grow with their content.