What is WCAG 2.2 AA? A plain-English guide
The Access Shift team · · 6 min read
WCAG 2.2 AA is the mid-level conformance tier of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 — the international standard most digital accessibility laws reference. Here is what it means in plain English.
What does WCAG 2.2 AA actually mean?
WCAG stands for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Version 2.2 was published as a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. The guidelines define success criteria across three conformance levels — A (essential), AA (the widely expected standard), and AAA (the most stringent). 'WCAG 2.2 AA' means meeting every Level A and Level AA success criterion in the 2.2 release.
What are the four principles of WCAG?
Every WCAG success criterion supports one of four principles, often abbreviated POUR:
- Perceivable — information and interface components must be presentable in ways users can perceive (e.g. text alternatives for images, sufficient color contrast, captions).
- Operable — interface components and navigation must be operable (e.g. full keyboard access, no keyboard traps, large enough touch targets).
- Understandable — information and operation must be understandable (e.g. predictable navigation, clear labels, helpful error messages).
- Robust — content must be robust enough to work with current and future assistive technologies (e.g. valid, well-structured markup and ARIA).
What is new in WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 added nine new success criteria on top of 2.1, with a strong focus on users who navigate by keyboard, have motor disabilities, or have cognitive disabilities. Notable additions at Level AA include Focus Not Obscured, Dragging Movements (offering a single-pointer alternative to drag actions), Target Size (Minimum) of 24×24 CSS pixels for most controls, Consistent Help, Redundant Entry, and Accessible Authentication (not forcing a cognitive test like memorizing a password to log in).
Why does WCAG 2.2 AA matter for compliance?
WCAG 2.2 AA is a superset of the web-content technical requirements referenced by most accessibility laws: the ADA (the DOJ's April 2024 Title II rule adopts WCAG 2.1 AA), Section 508, the European Accessibility Act (via EN 301 549), Ontario's AODA, and the Accessible Canada Act. Targeting the latest AA level keeps you aligned with the older versions current laws cite while preparing for upcoming revisions.
One honest caveat: meeting WCAG 2.2 AA is a technical baseline, not a legal certification. According to the WebAIM Million report, 95.9% of the top 1,000,000 home pages had detectable WCAG 2 failures in 2024 (WebAIM Million, 2024) — so most of the web is not there yet, and automated checks can only confirm the criteria a machine can test. Conformance also depends on human judgment, which is why we recommend pairing automated tooling with periodic manual audits.
Frequently asked questions
- Is WCAG 2.2 AA a law?
- No. WCAG 2.2 AA is a technical standard published by the W3C, not a law. Laws such as the ADA, Section 508, the EAA, AODA, and ACA reference WCAG (often version 2.0 or 2.1 AA) as the technical benchmark for what an accessible website should look like, but compliance is decided by regulators and courts.
- What is the difference between WCAG A, AA, and AAA?
- A is the minimum, essential level; AA is the widely expected standard that most laws reference for public websites; AAA is the most stringent and is rarely required across an entire site. Most organizations target AA.
- When was WCAG 2.2 published?
- WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. It is backward compatible with WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, so meeting 2.2 AA also meets the earlier AA versions that many current laws cite.