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Structural Element - Column header cell

  • WAVE Category: Structural Element
  • WAVE Structural Element: Column header cell

Page Content Status

  • WAVE Tool Reference text
  • Example of a DOM Snippet Generated From WAVE Tool
  • Screenshots of Accessibility Pattern in Use
  • Credits/Authors

WAVE Tool Reference

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This content added 2026-03-23. Check for updated guidance at: https://wave.webaim.org/api/docs?format=html#th_col

WAVE Category

Structural Elements

WAVE Error

Column header cell

What It Means

A table column header (<th scope="col">) is present.

Why It Matters

Adding a column scope to a table header ensures the cells within that column will be programmatically associated to that header, particularly with complex tables. This facilitates screen reader navigation and orientation within the data table.

What To Do

Ensure that the cell is actually a header cell for tabular data and that it is a column header.

The Algorithm... in English

A table header cell (<th>) is present that has a scope attribute value of "col".

Standards and Guidelines

Example of a DOM Snippet Generated From WAVE Tool

[HTML snippet showing the problematic code structure that WAVE detected]

Screenshots of Accessibility Pattern in Use

1. Descriptive Title for Screenshot Set 1

Description/text for image

[INSERT IMAGE HERE]

Credits/Authors

  • @Rabia2219
  • [INCLUDE Contributor 2]
  • [INCLUDE Contributor N]