Skip to content

Alert - Possible heading

  • WAVE Category: Alert
  • WAVE Alert: Possible heading

Page Content Status

  • WAVE Error guidance text
  • Example of a DOM Snippet Generated From WAVE Tool
  • Project Team Error guidance
    • Project Team Page Details
    • Project Team Issue and PR details
    • Project Team Solution
  • Credits/Authors

WAVE Error guidance

WAVE Tool's Reference material on Possible heading may not specifically address your problem. We provide it here for optional reading.

Click to see WAVE Tool Reference

This content added 2026-02-26. Check for updated guidance at: https://wave.webaim.org/api/docs?format=html#heading_possible

WAVE Category

Alerts

WAVE Error

Possible heading

What It Means

Text appears to be a heading but is not a heading element.

Why It Matters

Heading elements (<h1>-<h6>) provide important document structure, outlines, and navigation functionality to assistive technology users. If heading text is not a true heading, this information and functionality will not be available for that text.

What To Do

If the paragraph is a section heading, use a heading element instead (<h1>-<h6>).

The Algorithm... in English

A <p> element contains less than 50 characters and is either: - 20 pixels or bigger - 16 pixels or bigger and bold and/or italicized

Standards and Guidelines

Example of a DOM Snippet Generated From WAVE Tool

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

Project Team Error guidance

The following material covers how the Project Team has provided a solution to the possible heading WAVE alert.

Project Page Details

  • Project Page name: [INSERT PAGE NAME or "ALL"]
  • Project Staging URL: [INSERT URL or "N/A"]
  • Requires sign in: [TRUE OR FALSE]
    • Required User Role: [INSERT ONE OF: Visitor, Logged in user, Admin, Security Admin]
    • Can access page directly from URL: [TRUE OR FALSE]
    • Accepts URL parameters: [TRUE OR FALSE]

Project Team Issue and PR details

  • Related GitHub Issue(s):
  • [INSERT ISSUE URL]
  • Related Pull Request(s):
  • [INSERT PR URL]
  • React Component(s)
  • [INSERT PATH: e.g. path/to/Component.jsx]

Project Team Solution

What is the specific problem that was occurring?

[INSERT CONTENT]

What is the proposed solution to this problem?

[INSERT CONTENT]

Step-By-Step Guide

Click to see step-by-step guide

[ADD DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS HERE]

Other Technical Details

Click to see other technical details

[INSERT OTHER DETAILS e.g. Prop References, Return Value ]

Code Snippet With Solution

Click to see code snippets

[INSERT PATH file/path/to/Snippet.jsx]

[Code example showing the fix/solution]

Why the Fix Works

[INSERT CONTENT]

Where this solution is applicable

  • [INSERT SCENARIO 1]
  • [INSERT SCENARIO 2]
  • [INSERT SCENARIO N]

Screenshots of WAVE Error

1. Descriptive Title for Screenshot Set 1

Description/text for image

[INSERT IMAGE HERE]

Description/text for image

[INSERT IMAGE HERE]

1. Descriptive Title for Screenshot Set 2

Descriptoin/text for image

[INSERT IMAGE HERE]

Credits/Authors

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