1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio
Prerecorded audio that is primarily speech, and is not an audio CAPTCHA or vocalization, has no or very low background sound, meeting one of several specific loudness or on/off conditions.
Last reviewed: September 9, 2026
Understanding 1.4.7
People who are hard of hearing, have auditory processing difficulties, or are not fluent listeners of the spoken language often struggle to separate foreground speech from competing background music or noise. This criterion keeps narration, podcasts, and voiceover audio intelligible by requiring background sound to be either absent, separately controllable, or substantially quieter than the speech.
How to Meet It
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to a song that happens to include background instrumentation behind the vocals?
No. This criterion targets background sound accompanying spoken-word content such as narration, interviews, or instructional audio, not music where singing is the content itself.
How is the 20 dB requirement actually verified?
It is assessed during audio mixing and mastering by comparing the level of the background track against the speech track with standard audio metering tools, so it needs to be planned into production rather than checked after the fact by ear alone.
Related Success Criteria
Quick Facts
- Criterion1.4.7
- LevelAAA
- IntroducedWCAG 2.0
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