Lists in Word Documents

Lists help organize information into scannable, structured content. For screen readers to properly announce lists, you must use Word's built-in list formatting rather than manually typing bullets or numbers.

What This Means

When you use Word's list feature, screen readers announce "list with X items" at the start and "end of list" at the end. They also announce the position of each item ("bullet" or "1, 2, 3").

Why It Matters

• Screen readers announce list structure when using proper formatting
• Manual lists appear as plain text paragraphs to assistive technology
• Nested lists require proper formatting to convey hierarchy
• Proper lists help all users scan and understand content structure

Common Violations

DOCX-08-001: List Not Created Using List Formatting {#DOCX-08-001}

What's Wrong: A list is created by manually typing bullets, dashes, numbers, or letters instead of using Word's list formatting. Screen readers see these as separate paragraphs, not a unified list.

Impact: Moderate - Users don't receive information about list structure and length.

How to Identify:

Signs of Manual Lists:

• Typing "-" or "*" at the start of lines
• Typing "1." "2." "3." manually
• Using tabs to indent list-like content
• Inconsistent bullet characters

To Verify:

1. Click on a "list" item
2. Check if the Bullets or Numbering button is active in the Home tab
3. If not highlighted, it's a manual list

How to Fix:

Convert Manual List to Real List:

1. Select all the manually formatted list items
2. Go to Home tab
3. Click Bullets (for unordered lists) or Numbering (for ordered lists)
4. Word will convert the text to a proper list

Create a New List:

1. Position cursor where you want the list
2. Click Bullets or Numbering in the Home tab
3. Type your first item and press Enter
4. Continue adding items
5. Press Enter twice to end the list

Screen Reader Difference:

Manual list (wrong):

• Screen reader says: "dash Item 1"
• Screen reader says: "dash Item 2"
• Screen reader says: "dash Item 3"

Proper list (correct):

• Screen reader says: "List with 3 items"
• Screen reader says: "Bullet Item 1"
• Screen reader says: "Bullet Item 2"
• Screen reader says: "Bullet Item 3"
• Screen reader says: "End of list"

Types of Lists

Bulleted Lists (Unordered)

Use for items where order doesn't matter:

• Features of a product
• Requirements that are equally important
• Options to choose from

Numbered Lists (Ordered)

Use when sequence or ranking matters:

1. Steps in a process
2. Ranked items
3. Sequential instructions

Multi-level Lists

For hierarchical information:

1. Main item a. Sub-item b. Sub-item i. Sub-sub-item
2. Main item

Creating Multi-level Lists:

1. Start a numbered or bulleted list
2. Press Tab to indent (demote) an item
3. Press Shift+Tab to outdent (promote) an item

Customizing Lists

Changing Bullet Style:

1. Select the list
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to Bullets
3. Choose a different bullet symbol
4. Or click Define New Bullet for custom options

Changing Number Format:

1. Select the list
2. Click the dropdown arrow next to Numbering
3. Choose a different format (1,2,3 or a,b,c or i,ii,iii)
4. Or click Define New Number Format

Lists vs. Other Structures

Use Lists When:

• Items are related but separate points
• Order matters (numbered) or doesn't (bulleted)
• Each item is relatively brief

Use Tables Instead When:

• Data has multiple attributes per item
• Information needs row/column structure
• You're comparing items across categories

Use Paragraphs Instead When:

• Content flows naturally as prose
• Items are not discrete points
• Only 2-3 items exist

Best Practices

Do:

• Use Word's built-in list feature
• Choose bullets or numbers based on content meaning
• Keep list items parallel in structure
• Use nested lists sparingly and logically

Don't:

• Type bullets or numbers manually
• Mix bullets and numbers in one list without reason
• Create lists with only one item
• Over-nest lists (more than 3 levels)

Using Microsoft's Accessibility Checker

Word's Accessibility Checker doesn't specifically check for manual lists, but you can identify them by:

1. Running the Accessibility Checker for other issues
2. Manually reviewing content that looks like lists
3. Clicking on list-like text to verify formatting

Additional Resources

• Microsoft: Create a bulleted or numbered list
• W3C WCAG 1.3.1 Info and Relationships