Use <figure> and <figcaption> for image captions

Using a <p> tag as a caption is invisible to assistive technology as an image description. The <figure>/<figcaption> pattern creates a machine-readable relationship between an image and its caption, which screen readers surface to users. It also communicates to search engines that the caption describes the image, supporting image SEO.

Quick Reference

• Wrap image + visible caption pairs in <figure> with <figcaption> as a direct child
• <figcaption> must be the first or last child of <figure>
• Do not duplicate alt text in figcaption—alt is the fallback, figcaption is the visible description
• <figure> is appropriate for images, code blocks, diagrams, and charts—not every image

Check

Scan the codebase for images with adjacent visible text that acts as a caption (e.g., a <p> or <span> immediately below an <img> describing it). Verify: 1) Such image-caption pairs are wrapped in <figure>. 2) The caption text is inside a <figcaption> element. 3) <figcaption> is a direct child of <figure>. 4) The alt text on the <img> is not identical to the <figcaption> text—they serve different purposes. Flag any <img> followed by descriptive text that is not structured as figure/figcaption.

Fix

For each image with an adjacent caption: 1) Wrap the <img> and its caption text in a <figure> element. 2) Move the caption text into a <figcaption> element inside <figure>. 3) Review the <img> alt attribute—if the figcaption already fully describes the image for sighted users, the alt can be shorter or empty (alt="") only if the figcaption alone is sufficient for screen readers too; otherwise keep a concise alt. 4) Position <figcaption> as the first or last child of <figure>. Show the corrected HTML.

Explain

Explain the semantic meaning of <figure> and <figcaption>. The <figure> element represents self-contained content (an image, code sample, diagram) that is referenced from the main content but could be moved without affecting the document flow. <figcaption> provides a caption or legend for the figure. Screen readers announce the figcaption in association with the figure, giving users context. Without this markup, sighted users see a caption but screen reader users hear only the alt text with no indication that a visible caption exists.

Code Review

Review image assets, markup, and delivery configuration related to Use <figure> and <figcaption> for image captions. Flag exact files or components where format choice, sizing, or loading behavior violates the rule, and describe how to confirm the fix in DevTools.

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For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance, see references/rule.md.

Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/images/figure-figcaption