mdn/content

Need clarification on the "more info" icon usage in relation to tooltip

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#42676 opened on Jan 7, 2026

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Content:Accessibilityhelp wanted

Description

MDN URL

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Reference/Roles/tooltip_role

What specific section or headline is this issue about?

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Accessibility/ARIA/Reference/Roles/tooltip_role#:~:text=The%20tooltip%20is%20not%20the%20appropriate%20role%20for%20the%20more%20information%20%22i%22%20icon%2C%20%E2%93%98.%20A%20tooltip%20is%20directly%20associated%20with%20the%20owning%20element.%20The%20%E2%93%98%20isn%27t%20%27described%20by%27%20detailed%20information%3B%20the%20tool%20or%20control%20is.

What information was incorrect, unhelpful, or incomplete?

The article referenced a common pattern of using the "more info" icon ⓘ to display tooltips. It mentioned what to avoid, but did not mention what to do instead. The framing make it sounds like maybe this common pattern should not be used at all.

What did you expect to see?

Better clarity on how to make this common pattern ARIA accessible and an example below. Or outright declare it's not a pattern to be followed going forward.

Do you have any supporting links, references, or citations?

No response

Do you have anything more you want to share?

Similar concern has been asked on Stackoverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70742579/what-is-the-correct-aria-role-for-a-more-info-icon

MDN metadata

Contributor guide

Tech stack
htmlcss
Domain
documentationaccessibility
Issue type
documentation
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
2
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-3 hours
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
needs maintainer response
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
mostly clear
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge of ARIAHTML semantics
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
55
Research direction
Review the current documentation on the tooltip role at files/en us/web/accessibility/aria/reference/roles/tooltip role/index.md and the cited StackOverflow discussion (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/70742579/what is the correct aria role for a more info icon). Determine the correct ARIA role or pattern for a 'more info' icon (ⓘ) that shows additional information. Update the document to either provide an accessible example or explicitly state that this pattern should be avoided, following WCAG guidelines.