Accessibility
Accessibility statement
GoalWord should be playable by as many people as possible. This page describes what we have done, what we know is imperfect, and how to tell us about a barrier.
Effective date: October 27, 2026
Our target
We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at Level AA for the core game and the editorial pages. WCAG is an internationally recognised standard for accessible web content. We review the site against it as part of our development process, but we do not claim perfect conformance.
What we have implemented
Keyboard navigation
Every interactive control can be reached with a keyboard. The player search supports arrow keys, Enter, and Escape, and focus is always visible.
Screen reader support
The game uses labelled form controls, live regions for feedback, and semantic headings. Decorative illustrations are hidden from assistive technology.
Reduced motion
Animations are subtle and respect the operating system’s reduced-motion preference. The game does not rely on motion to communicate a result.
Responsive and touch-friendly
The interface works at mobile widths, with large touch targets, readable text, and no horizontal scrolling on the main game screens.
Specific features
- Skip link. A “Skip to content” link appears when you press Tab at the top of the page.
- Visible focus. Focused controls have a high-contrast outline that is not removed.
- Semantic structure. Pages use a single main heading, logical heading levels, landmarks, and labelled navigation.
- Live feedback. Guess results, validation messages, and the trivia explanation are announced through polite live regions.
- No colour-only meaning. Match, close, and miss feedback also use text labels and icons, so colour is not the only way to read a result.
- No autoplay. The site does not autoplay video or audio. There is no background music.
- Readable text. Body text is set at a comfortable size, with strong contrast against the dark background, and the layout reflows on small screens.
Known limitations
We want to be honest about the parts we do not fully control:
- Third-party advertising. Ads are served by Google AdSense. We choose where ad slots appear, but we do not control the creative content or the accessibility of the ads themselves. If an ad creates a barrier, please tell us and we will investigate.
- Custom autocomplete. The player search is a custom combobox. It is designed to work with a keyboard and a screen reader, but it may behave differently across assistive technologies. If a suggestion is not announced correctly, let us know your browser and screen reader so we can reproduce it.
- Emoji share grid. The shareable result uses emoji. Some screen readers read emoji names rather than colours. The result card also includes a text score, and the game history uses labelled cells, so the emoji grid is not the only way to understand a result.
Compatibility
GoalWord is tested in current versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge on desktop and mobile. It is designed to work without JavaScript for reading the editorial pages, but the interactive game requires JavaScript because it runs in your browser. The site does not require a specific operating system or an app download.
Feedback
If you encounter an accessibility barrier, use the contact and support page for the current reporting options. Include the page URL, a description of the problem, and the browser or assistive technology you are using. Barriers that prevent someone from playing the game are the highest priority.
You can also read our FAQ for general questions. GoalWord does not currently operate an email inbox.
Questions about this page?
See the contact and support page for current options and the fastest answers.