Older code may contain role="marquee". This role is deprecated or legacy, so learn to recognize it rather than adding it to a new project.
What this role means
A legacy role associated with nonessential changing information.
This role was meant to describe a legacy role associated with nonessential changing information. Modern HTML provides clearer and more reliable ways to represent the same information.
A modern replacement
<!-- Example for marquee semantics -->
<p>School news: Open house is on Friday.</p>Read the example
The example uses supported semantic HTML instead of relying on the old ARIA role. Readers can understand the content even if an assistive technology does not recognize the legacy role.
The ARIA role is legacy; moving ticker-style content is usually distracting.
When to use it
When maintaining old markup, find out what the content actually represents before changing it. Preserve its meaning, links and keyboard behavior during the update.
In an accessibility inspector, compare the accessible role and name with the visible content. The important goal is that both keyboard users and screen-reader users can understand the page.
Try it yourself
Put the example on a practice page and inspect it using your browser accessibility panel. If it includes interactive controls, reach them with Tab and check whether they work without a mouse. Explain whether the semantics come from native HTML or an explicit ARIA role.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Reusing deprecated
role="marquee"in newly written HTML. - The ARIA role is legacy; moving ticker-style content is usually distracting.
- Confusing the role announced by a screen reader with the behavior that the browser implements.
Key Takeaways
marqueeis related to a legacy role associated with nonessential changing information.- The ARIA role is legacy; moving ticker-style content is usually distracting.
- Native HTML is the first choice; ARIA should clarify meaning, not replace working HTML.