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Pulseaccessibility

Definition Items Are Wrapped in dl Elements

What This Audit Checks

This audit verifies that every <dt> (definition term) and <dd> (definition description) element is a direct child of a <dl> element or a <div> that is a direct child of a <dl>. Orphaned <dt> or <dd> elements outside a definition list have no semantic meaning.

Why It Matters

Without a parent <dl>, screen readers cannot identify <dt> and <dd> elements as part of a term-definition relationship. Users who rely on assistive technology lose the structured pairing between terms and their descriptions.

How to Fix It

  • Wrap orphaned <dt> and <dd> elements in a <dl>.
  • Check for nesting errors. A common mistake is placing <dt>/<dd> inside a <ul> or <ol> instead of a <dl>.
  • If you don't need definition semantics, use a different element such as a heading and paragraph pair.
<!-- Bad: dt/dd without a dl parent -->
<div>
  <dt>AES-256</dt>
  <dd>A symmetric encryption algorithm.</dd>
</div>

<!-- Good: wrapped in dl -->
<dl>
  <dt>AES-256</dt>
  <dd>A symmetric encryption algorithm.</dd>
</dl>

How Pulse Tracks This

Pulse flags this audit in your Lighthouse accessibility score. When the audit fails, Pulse shows which elements triggered it so you can fix them directly.

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