2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts

Who it helps

Speech input users dictate words, and each spoken letter can fire a single-key shortcut by accident. Keyboard users with tremors or motor disabilities also hit keys by mistake and trigger actions they did not intend.

How to meet it

• Offer a setting that turns single-key shortcuts off, and remember the choice.
• Or let users remap each shortcut to include a modifier key such as Ctrl or Alt.
• Or make the shortcut active only while its component has focus, such as type-ahead letters inside a focused list box.
• Shortcuts that already need Ctrl, Alt or Cmd, and keys like Escape or the arrows, are not covered by this criterion.
• Check that shortcuts never fire while the user is typing in an input, textarea or contenteditable area.

Examples

<script>
  document.addEventListener("keydown", (e) => {
    if (e.key === "s") {
      e.preventDefault();
      document.getElementById("search").focus();
    }
  });
</script>

<label><input type="checkbox" id="shortcuts" checked> Single-key shortcuts</label>
<script>
  const toggle = document.getElementById("shortcuts");
  document.addEventListener("keydown", (e) => {
    if (!toggle.checked || e.target.closest("input, textarea, [contenteditable]")) return;
    if (e.key === "s") {
      e.preventDefault();
      document.getElementById("search").focus();
    }
  });
</script>

<script>
  document.addEventListener("keydown", (e) => {
    if (e.altKey && e.shiftKey && e.code === "KeyS") {
      e.preventDefault();
      document.getElementById("search").focus();
    }
  });
</script>

Common mistakes

• Adding single-letter shortcuts from a library, such as a video player or email client, without an off switch.
• Offering a way to turn shortcuts off that is hard to find or resets on each visit.
• Ignoring shortcuts that use Shift with a letter, which still count as character keys.
• Testing only with a keyboard and never with speech input.

Related criteria

• 2.1.1 Keyboard
• 2.5.3 Label in Name

Official W3C explanation of 2.1.4