1.4 Distinguishable · Perceivable
WCAG 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
Level AA
Text and images of text must contrast against their background at a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold). The single most-flagged issue in real-world audits.
Common failures
- Light-grey body text on white backgrounds (e.g. #ccc on #fff = 1.6:1).
- Brand-coloured links lose contrast on coloured section backgrounds.
- Placeholder text in form fields fails contrast even when surrounding labels pass.
- Disabled-state buttons rely on near-invisible text rather than non-text cues.
How to fix
- Run a contrast checker (axe, Stark, WebAIM) on every text/background pairing in your design tokens.
- Don't use placeholder text as a label substitute — placeholders rarely meet contrast.
- Treat large text as 18pt regular or 14pt bold and verify with computed CSS, not eyeballs.
Related criteria
- WCAG 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) Level AAA
- WCAG 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast Level AA