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( Perceivable / WCAG 1.4.1 )

Link is not distinguishable from surrounding text without color

This check maps to Use of Color. Use the guidance below to confirm the issue, understand who it affects and ship a fix.

Serious Level A WCAG 1.4.1 — Use of Color

What’s wrong

A link sits inline within a paragraph of text and is styled with color alone, no underline, no weight change, nothing that survives if color is removed.

Why it matters

Colorblind users and anyone viewing the page in grayscale or high-contrast mode can’t tell where the link starts and ends. It just reads as regular text.

How to fix it

Add a non-color cue, an underline is the simplest and most familiar.

Before
a { color: #2563eb; text-decoration: none; }
After
a { color: #2563eb; text-decoration: underline; }

Links outside of body text, like nav items or buttons, aren’t affected by this rule since their context already marks them as interactive.

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