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How to fix "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) — WCAG and remediation guide

"required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) is one of the most-reported WCAG failures in automated audits. This guide explains the WCAG criterion involved, common causes, and a tested remediation pattern that resolves the issue at source.

Sora Ito · IAAP WAS · Screen reader specialist3 min readPublished · Updated

What is ""required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2)"?

In a typical automated audit (axe-core, Lighthouse, WAVE) the rule for "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) flags elements that violate the corresponding WCAG success criterion. The fix is at source code — not via overlay or runtime patching.

Why this matters

"required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) affects users of assistive technology — particularly screen-reader users, low-vision users, and keyboard-only users — and is one of the most-cited failures in ADA and EAA enforcement actions.

How to fix it

Identify the offending element via the audit report; apply the source-level remediation; re-test with the same automated tool; verify with manual review using NVDA or VoiceOver. If the issue is content-driven, fix in your CMS and update editorial workflow.

How to prevent regression

Add axe-core to your CI pipeline. Pair-review accessibility on every PR. Bake correct patterns into your component library so new screens cannot reintroduce the same failure.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.

  • Is "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) a Level A or Level AA WCAG issue?

    Most common "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) failures sit at Level A (the minimum baseline) or Level AA (the legally required target). Severity varies by user impact; an IAAP-credentialed reviewer can grade individual instances.

  • Can an accessibility widget fix "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2)?

    No. Widgets do not modify the underlying source code. Source-level remediation is the only durable fix and the only fix recognised by US courts and EU market-surveillance authorities.

  • How often does "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) appear in real audits?

    "required" marker conveyed by colour or asterisk only (WCAG 3.3.2) appears in approximately 30–60% of audits in the WebAIM Million dataset, depending on which top-million page sample is analysed.

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