Table structure (table)

Semantic tables must convey their structure programmatically—using native table elements (<table>, <thead>, <tbody>, <tfoot>, <th>, <td>) or equivalent ARIA roles (role="table", role="row", role="cell").


PRE used for table:

This example shows a schedule formatted using the <pre> element, with spacing and tabs used to mimic columns. Screen readers and assistive tech cannot interpret this as tabular data, violating WCAG 1.3.1 . 


         Monday   Tuesday     Wednesday      Thursday         Friday
8:00-
9:00          Meet with Sam
9:00-
10:00                 Dr. Williams   Sam again        Leave for San Antonio

Note: Impossible to automatically test or detect. Requires a human tester or AI to identify when the <pre> element is being used to visually simulate a data table.

axe detected: none  |  QualWeb detected: none