URL: /rules/a11y/definition-list

---
title: "Definition List Structure"
description: "Checks that definition lists contain only dt and dd elements"
---

Checks that definition lists contain only dt and dd elements

| | |
|---|---|
| **Rule ID** | `a11y/definition-list` |
| **Category** | [Accessibility](/rules/a11y) |
| **Scope** | Per-page |
| **Severity** | error |
| **Weight** | 7/10 |

## Solution

Definition lists (`<dl>`) should only contain `<dt>` (term) and `<dd>` (description) elements as direct children. Optionally, they can be wrapped in `<div>` for styling. Do not put other elements like `<p>`, `<span>`, or `<li>` directly inside `<dl>`.

## Enable / Disable

### Disable this rule

```toml squirrel.toml
[rules]
disable = ["a11y/definition-list"]
```

### Disable all Accessibility rules

```toml squirrel.toml
[rules]
disable = ["a11y/*"]
```

### Enable only this rule

```toml squirrel.toml
[rules]
enable = ["a11y/definition-list"]
disable = ["*"]
```