Label in Name (WCAG 2.5.3)

Label in Name is WCAG Success Criterion 2.5.3, a requirement that helps people operate controls through voice input. When a button or other control has a visible text label, its programmatically exposed accessible name must contain that visible wording. Someone who sees a button marked 'Get an Estimate' should be able to speak those words and have speech-control software find the intended button.

A common failure occurs when developers override the accessible name with an unrelated aria-label. For example, a visible 'Book Service' button with an accessible name of only 'Submit Request' may prevent voice users from selecting it by the text on screen. Put the visible wording into the accessible name, preferably in the same order, and avoid unnecessary hidden wording that obscures the main action. An icon-only control raises other accessible-name requirements, but the text-label condition of 2.5.3 is specific.

The criterion differs from general Form Labels, which concern identifying inputs, and from Accessible Name and Description concepts more broadly. Test the computed accessible name—not just the HTML attribute—with keyboard, screen reader, and speech-input workflows as appropriate. The goal is predictable interaction, not an SEO or ranking signal.