Tooltip
Also called: Hint
A short text label that appears on hover or focus to explain a control.
Definition
Touch screens have no hover, so tooltips must also work on focus or tap, be dismissible with Esc, and never be the only way to name a button.
In practice
Hovering or tabbing to an ⓘ icon shows 'Fee: €1.50 for transfers under €100'.
Related terms
- ModalA window that appears on top of the page and blocks the content behind it until it is closed.
- ToastA short, temporary message that appears briefly and disappears on its own, like 'Message sent'.
- ARIAHTML attributes that tell assistive technology what custom elements are and what state they're in.