An element with the attribute “role=button” must not appear as a descendant of the “a” element.

The HTML specification defines strict rules about which elements can be nested inside others. The <a> element is classified as interactive content, and its content model explicitly forbids other interactive content as descendants. Elements with role="button" — whether a native <button> or any element with the ARIA role — are also interactive. Nesting one inside the other creates an ambiguous situation: should a click activate the link or the button?

This matters for several important reasons:

• Accessibility: Screen readers and assistive technologies rely on a clear, unambiguous element hierarchy. When a button is inside a link, the announced role becomes confusing — users may hear both a link and a button, or the assistive technology may only expose one of them, hiding the other’s functionality.
• Unpredictable behavior: Browsers handle nested interactive elements inconsistently. Some may split the elements apart in the DOM, while others may swallow click events. This leads to broken or unreliable behavior across different browsers.
• Standards compliance: The WHATWG HTML Living Standard and W3C HTML specification both explicitly prohibit this nesting pattern.

To fix this issue, decide what the element should actually do. If it navigates to a URL, use an <a> element. If it performs an action (like submitting a form or triggering JavaScript), use a <button>. If you need both visual styles, use CSS to style one element to look like the other.

Examples

❌ Incorrect: Element with role="button" inside an <a>

<a href="/dashboard">
  <span role="button">Go to Dashboard</span>
</a>

The <span> with role="button" is interactive content nested inside the interactive <a> element.

❌ Incorrect: <button> inside an <a>

<a href="/settings">
  <button>Open Settings</button>
</a>

A <button> element is inherently interactive and must not appear inside an <a>.

✅ Correct: Use a link styled as a button

If the purpose is navigation, use the <a> element and style it with CSS:

<a href="/dashboard" class="btn">Go to Dashboard</a>

✅ Correct: Use a button that navigates via JavaScript

If you need a button that also navigates, handle navigation in JavaScript:

<button type="button" onclick="location.href='/dashboard'">Go to Dashboard</button>

✅ Correct: Place elements side by side

If you truly need both a link and a button, keep them as siblings rather than nesting one inside the other:

<div class="actions">
  <a href="/dashboard">Go to Dashboard</a>
  <button type="button">Save Preference</button>
</div>

✅ Correct: Link styled as a button using ARIA (when appropriate)

If the element navigates but you want assistive technologies to announce it as a button, you can apply role="button" directly to the element — just don’t nest it inside an <a>:

<span role="button" tabindex="0" onclick="location.href='/dashboard'">
  Go to Dashboard
</span>

Note that using role="button" on a non-interactive element like <span> requires you to also add tabindex="0" for keyboard focusability and handle keydown events for the Enter and Space keys. In most cases, a native <a> or <button> element is the better choice.

Learn more:

MDN Reference

ARIA: button role

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MDN Reference

The a element

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WHATWG Spec

Content models

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