Provide an alternative to each CAPTCHA that is only a sound or only a visual test

For each CAPTCHA (anti-spam system) that is only a sound or only a visual test, an alternative must be provided.

For example:

  • A sound alternative.
  • A text alternative in the form of a simple or mathematical question.

Note

For each CAPTCHA, it is highly recommended to provide a way to refresh its content because it happens very regularly that the CAPTCHA cannot be deciphered at the first reading.

Screen capture, caption below.
In this CAPTCHA, the link “Listen” provides the user with a sound version of the CAPTCHA.

Tip

Good practice is to provide, in addition to the reload solution, information on how to contact the website manager, if the CAPTCHA cannot be typed in (a link to the “Contact” page, a phone number, etc.).

Warning

CAPTCHAs are designed to block spambots that use more and more sophisticated techniques to circumvent them.

CAPTCHAs are therefore more and more complicated to decipher.

In addition, Google’s widely-used reCAPTCHA v2 captcha, which is presented as a checkbox followed by an image test, is not considered compliant, and its validation can be very difficult for keyboard and screen reader users. We therefore recommend the use of captchas that require no user action, such as the Friendly Captcha or the reCAPTCHA v3 of Google.

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Updates

20 August 2024
Accessible captcha examples added.

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