Label points to a missing element

Why does it matter?

aria-labelledby, aria-describedby and <label for> point at other elements by ID. If the ID does not exist, the label or description silently disappears.

Who it affects: Screen reader and keyboard users, who depend on ARIA and focus order being correct to understand and operate the page.

What does Lumtera flag?

ARIA and label references to IDs that are not in the content.

Check ID aria-broken-reference — use it to filter the content report or with wp lumtera issues --rule.

How do I fix it in WordPress?

Make sure the referenced ID exists in the content and is spelled exactly the same (IDs are case-sensitive). This often breaks when a block is copied and its IDs are regenerated.

Example

<input aria-describedby="pwd-hint" type="password">

<input aria-describedby="pwd-hint" type="password">
<p id="pwd-hint">At least 12 characters.</p>

How do I check the fix?

1. Update the post. The issue disappears from the Lumtera Accessibility sidebar on the next check, and from the site report on the next scan.
2. Press Tab from the top of the page. Focus should move in reading order and never land on something invisible or silent.