Conflicting ARIA role

Silktide checks elements that declare an explicit role against the meaning they already have in HTML. It reports roles that are not allowed on that element, and roles that merely restate what the element already means.

<!-- Problem: a nav element cannot be a button -->
<nav role="button">…</nav>

<!-- Problem: redundant, nav already has this role -->
<nav role="navigation">…</nav>

<!-- Fix: let the element speak for itself -->
<nav>…</nav>

Why this matters

Every element carries built-in meaning that relies on. An role that conflicts with that meaning creates an element that looks like one thing and announces itself as another - a user might hear "link" on something that behaves as a button, with keyboard shortcuts and expectations that no longer match. Redundant roles are less harmful but add noise, invite future mistakes, and signal ARIA being used where none is needed.

How to fix it

For a conflicting role, either remove the role or switch to an element that genuinely carries the meaning you want - if it should act as a button, use <button>.
For a redundant role such as <nav role="navigation"> or <button role="button">, delete the role attribute. The element already exposes that role by itself.

How Silktide tests this

Find every element on the page with a role attribute, skipping roles that are unknown or abstract (those are reported by Invalid ARIA role).
Compare the role against the combinations the ARIA in HTML specification allows for that element, and report roles the element does not permit.
Report roles that duplicate the element's own implicit role.
When a role attribute lists several roles, only the first is considered.

Findings distinguish the two cases, so you can prioritize conflicts over redundancy.

Troubleshooting

The redundant role is there for older browsers

Explicit landmark roles like role="navigation" were once recommended as a safety net for old assistive technology. Support for the native elements has been universal for years, and the duplicated role now costs more in maintenance than it returns. Remove it, or the finding if your support policy requires keeping it.

This check reports nothing even though I expect findings

ARIA testing can be turned off per website. Check the advanced settings for the website.