Definitions of unusual words
Readers should be able to find definitions for words and phrases used in an unusual or specialized way, including idioms and jargon. This check asks you to review each page for undefined terms, because judging what counts as unusual for your audience is not something an automated test can do reliably.
Why this matters
Jargon, idioms, and words used in a restricted technical sense shut readers out. People with cognitive disabilities, people reading in a second language, and newcomers to your field may take an idiom like "spilling the beans" literally or be unable to guess what a specialized term means in your context. A definition, glossary, or dictionary link lets them keep reading instead of leaving to search elsewhere.
This is success criterion 3.1.3 (Unusual Words), a requirement.
How to fix it
This is a manual review. On each page:
- Read through the content and note idioms, jargon, and any words used in an unusual or restricted way.
- Confirm a definition is available for each, in at least one form:
- The definition appears in the surrounding text.
- The term links to a glossary or definition list.
- The page marks defining instances with the
<dfn>element or a description list. - The site offers a search of an online dictionary.
- Add definitions or a glossary where terms lack them - or better, replace jargon with plain language where you can.
- When the page checks out, the finding.
How Silktide tests this
- Raise one review prompt per page. What counts as an unusual word depends on your audience and context, which no automated test can judge, so Silktide prompts you to review rather than guessing.
- The prompt does not mean undefined terms were found - many pages have none, and for those the review takes moments.
Troubleshooting
Why does this appear on every page?
Because unusual words cannot be detected automatically, the check errs on the side of asking. Approving a page records that you have reviewed it.