The HTML aria-roledescription attribute
The aria-roledescription attribute replaces the role name a screen reader announces with your own wording — for example announcing a carousel item as "slide" instead of "group". Use it sparingly, and remember to translate it.
Overview
The aria-roledescription attribute provides a human-readable, author-defined description of an element's role.
It is one of ARIA's naming and description properties, which give an element an accessible name or description for assistive technology. Whenever you can, associate visible text — a <label>, or aria-labelledby pointing at on-screen text — so sighted and screen-reader users get the same information, rather than hiding it in an invisible string.
Like all ARIA, aria-roledescription changes only the accessibility tree — what assistive technology perceives — never the element's behavior or appearance. The first rule of ARIA applies: if a native HTML element or attribute conveys this, use that instead, and only reach for ARIA when nothing native fits.
Syntax
<div role="group" aria-roledescription="slide"> … </div>Values
| Value |
|---|
| A string. |
Example
<section role="group" aria-roledescription="slide" aria-label="1 of 3"> … </section>Best practices
- Follow the first rule of ARIA — use a native HTML element or attribute that conveys this where one exists, rather than adding ARIA.
- Prefer referencing visible text (a <label> or aria-labelledby) over an invisible string where possible.
- Use aria-label only when there is no suitable on-screen text to reference.
- Keep the name concise and meaningful — it is exactly what a screen reader announces.