Accessibility statement

Our aim

The dictionary aims to conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at level AA. Accessibility is treated as part of every change rather than a later addition.

What is in place

• Semantic headings, landmarks and lists, so screen readers can navigate by structure.
• Full keyboard operation: search, the A–Z and Maltese alphabet navigation, page-size controls, pronunciation buttons and the suggestion form are all reachable and usable with the keyboard, with a visible focus outline.
• Descriptive labels on icon-only controls, including a spoken-name label on every pronunciation button.
• Spoken pronunciation for Maltese headwords, as an alternative to reading unfamiliar diacritics.
• Diacritic-insensitive search, so a term can be found whether or not you can type ħ, ġ, ż or ċ.
• Text that reflows and remains readable when zoomed or viewed on a small screen, and colour combinations chosen for contrast in both light and dark appearance.
• No content that flashes, moves automatically, or relies on colour alone to convey meaning.

Known limitations

• Synthesised pronunciation is generated by a third-party voice that has no dedicated Maltese model. It is guided by phonetic respelling and is a close approximation, not a native-speaker recording. Where a human recording exists it is played instead.
• Some grammar notes and sense labels are transcribed from the printed source and use its abbreviations, which may be read out literally by a screen reader.
• Lexicon details supplied by the external Ġabra service are presented as received, so their wording and language are outside our control.

Assistive technology

The site has been built and checked against current versions of Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge, and is designed to work with the screen readers and magnification tools built into those platforms.

Reporting a barrier

If any part of the dictionary is difficult or impossible for you to use, please tell us through the “Suggest a term” form on the home page — describe the problem in the notes field and, if you would like a reply, include your email. Reports are reviewed and used to prioritise fixes.