Expected Result: causes problems in some screen readers
Actual Result: causes problems in 19 screen reader / browser combinations
Code used for this test:
<h1>,,,,</h1>
<p>Heading with only silent punctuation content</p>
| Screen reader | Browser | Mode | Notes | What the user hears |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA 2015.2 | FF41 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced |  Heading level 1 |
| NVDA 2015.2 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| NVDA 2014.1 | FF29 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| NVDA 2014.1 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| NVDA 2012.1 | FF29 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| NVDA 2012.1 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 16.0.4350 | FF41 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 16.0.4350 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 15.0.9023 | FF29 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 15.0.9023 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 14.0.9002 | FF29 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 14.0.9002 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 13.0.852 | FF29 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
| JAWS 13.0.852 | IE11 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1 |
 WindowEyes 8.4 | IE11 | Heading | Empty heading ignored | |
| VoiceOver OSX 10.10 | Safari 9.0.1 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1, comma |
| VoiceOver OSX 10.9 | Safari 7.0.3 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1, comma |
| VoiceOver iOS 8.4 | Safari iOS 8.4 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Comma, heading level 1 |
| VoiceOver iOS 7.1 | Safari iOS 7.1 | Heading | Unlabelled heading announced | Heading level 1, comma |
| SaToGo 3.4.96.0 | IE11 | Heading | Reads following paragraph as heading | Heading with only silent punctuation content, heading level 1 |
Test notes
The threshold for inclusion in these results is 5% usage in the most recent WebAIM screen reader survey. Chrome and Android still fall below the 5% threshold.
All tests were carried out with screen reader factory settings. JAWS in particular has a wide variety of settings controlling exactly what gets spoken.
Screen readers allow users to interact in different modes, and can produce very different results in each mode. The modes used in these tests are:
- Reading Content read using the “read next” command in a screen reader.
- Tabbing Content read using the “tab” key in a screen reader.
- Heading Content read using the “next heading” key in a screen reader.
- Touch Content read when touching an area of screen on a mobile device.
In the “What the user hears” column:
- Commas represent short pauses in screen reader voicing.
- Full Stops represent places where voicing stops, and the “read next” or “tab” or “next heading” command is pressed again.
- Ellipsis (…) represent a long pause in voicing.