# Data or header cells must not be used to give caption to a data table.

> Canonical HTML version: https://rocketvalidator.com/accessibility-validation/axe/4.9/table-fake-caption
> Attribution: Rocket Validator (https://rocketvalidator.com)
> License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Markup for data tables can be tedious and perplexing. There are several capabilities in screen readers that make it easier to navigate tables, but for these features to function properly, tables must be precisely marked up. Instead than utilizing a caption element, some tables visually imply a caption by employing cells with the `colspan` element.

Tables are announced in a certain way by screen readers. The potential for unclear or erroneous screen reader output exists when tables are not properly marked up.

Screen reader users cannot understand the purpose of the table visually when tables are not marked up with an actual caption element but rather use a `colspan` element on cells to visually indicate a caption.

<h3>What this Accessibility Rule Checks</h3>

Verifies that data tables are identified with table cells that utilize a `colspan` element to visually convey a caption.