WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.1.1, Language of Page, is a Level A requirement: page language is declared. It’s among the most common failures on the web: WebAIM found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of the top million home pages, and this criterion covers one of the six failure types they found most often (WebAIM Million, 2026 (opens in a new tab)).
Read the criterion in the W3C Recommendation, WCAG 2.2 (opens in a new tab).
How BearScan checks it
Page language is declared
Checked automatically: reads the HTML. Severity: high. Without a declared language a screen reader picks a pronunciation, which can render the whole site unintelligible.
How to fix it. Set lang on the <html> element to the primary language of the page, for example <html lang="en-US">.
All WCAG 2.2 criteria · Next: 3.1.2 Language of Parts
Questions
Is WCAG 3.1.1 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 3.1.1.
Can an automated tool check WCAG 3.1.1?
Mostly. BearScan checks it automatically (reads the HTML). A clean result still isn't proof every page passes, only the pages scanned.
How do I fix a WCAG 3.1.1 failure?
Set lang on the <html> element to the primary language of the page, for example <html lang="en-US">.