Structure · WCAG 2.1 Level AA
Inline text spacing must be adjustable with custom stylesheets
Ensure that text spacing set through style attributes can be adjusted with custom stylesheets.
What it means
The avoid-inline-spacing rule flags elements that fail this check. It maps to WCAG success criterion 1.4.12.
Who it affects
Screen reader users who navigate by structure, and people who change text spacing or orientation.
How to fix it
Do not set !important line-height, letter-spacing or word-spacing inline, so people can override text spacing.
<p style="line-height:1.5">…</p>Check it on your site
Run a free scan. If this rule fails, the results list the affected elements. Deque, which maintains axe-core, also documents this rule in detail: Deque University: avoid-inline-spacing.
Quick answers
What does the axe rule "avoid-inline-spacing" check?
Ensure that text spacing set through style attributes can be adjusted with custom stylesheets.
How do I fix "Inline text spacing must be adjustable with custom stylesheets"?
Do not set !important line-height, letter-spacing or word-spacing inline, so people can override text spacing.
Who is affected by avoid-inline-spacing failures?
Screen reader users who navigate by structure, and people who change text spacing or orientation.
Automated accessibility scan. Results are informational and may not identify every accessibility issue. This service is not legal advice, a compliance certification, or a substitute for comprehensive manual accessibility testing.