Search code examples
cssxhtmlw3csemantic-markupscreen-readers

When we should use <dl> over <ul>?

In what scenarios we should go for <dl> not <ul>?

Does it matter for screen reader user <ul> or <dl>? does screen reader software notify user about content is in <ul> or <dl>?

Solution

  • A <dl> is a definition list. It should be used in such a case as, perhaps, a dictionary:

    Use-case:

    <dl>
<dt>Thesaurus</dt>
<dd>A book for finding synonyms of other words, often alphabetical. Similar to a dictionary.</dd>
</dl>

    Result of the above:

    Thesaurus
    A book for finding synonyms of other words, often alphabetical. Similar to a dictionary.

    The idea being that the term-to-be-defined is held in the <dt> element, and the definition of that term is given in the <dd>.

    A <ul> is an unordered list. Now, a <dl> does not imply any order to its contents, but it does imply a semantic relation between its children. A <ul>, however, could contain anything that is not ordered.