How to fix valid lang on Wix
Add a valid BCP 47 language code to every `lang` attribute on your pages so assistive technologies can read content in the correct language.
Steps for Wix
- Wix manages the `<html lang>` attribute automatically based on the site language you set in the dashboard — you cannot edit the raw HTML tag directly.
- To set the correct language: Dashboard → Settings → Multilingual (or Settings → Language & Region) → set your Primary Language to the correct language. Wix will output the corresponding valid BCP 47 code.
- For multilingual Wix sites using Wix Multilingual, each language version gets its own `lang` attribute automatically once the language is added and published in Settings → Multilingual → Manage Languages.
- If an invalid `lang` attribute appears inside a custom HTML embed widget (added via Add → Embed → HTML iframe), open that widget and correct the value in the HTML code panel.
- Re-publish the site and verify with the axe browser extension.
<html lang="en">
<!-- For a page in US English -->
<html lang="fr">
<!-- For a page primarily in French -->
<!-- Inline language switch for a passage in Spanish on an English page -->
<p lang="es">Bienvenido a nuestra tienda.</p>
<!-- Region-specific variant -->
<html lang="pt-BR">
<!-- Brazilian Portuguese -->What is valid lang?
Every HTML page has a `lang` attribute on the `<html>` tag (e.g. `<html lang="en">`) that tells browsers and assistive technologies what language the page is written in. When a page contains a passage in a *different* language, that section should also carry its own `lang` attribute (e.g. `<p lang="fr">`). The value must be a valid BCP 47 language tag — a standardised code like `en`, `en-US`, `fr`, `de`, or `zh-Hans`. An empty, misspelled, or made-up value (such as `lang=""` or `lang="english"`) fails WCAG Success Criterion 3.1.2 (Language of Parts).
Screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver automatically switch their text-to-speech voice and pronunciation rules based on the `lang` attribute. If the value is missing or invalid, the reader mispronounces words — sometimes so badly that the content becomes completely unintelligible to blind or low-vision shoppers. Beyond accessibility, WCAG 3.1.2 is a Level AA requirement, meaning failing it exposes your store to legal risk under laws such as the ADA in the US, the European Accessibility Act, and equivalent legislation elsewhere. Google also uses language signals to serve your pages to the right audiences, so correct `lang` values support your international SEO.
See the complete Valid lang guide for every platform and the full background.
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