Bad value “nav” for attribute “role” on element “nav”.

nav is the name of an HTML element, not an ARIA role, so role="nav" on a <nav> element is an invalid value.

The role attribute accepts only role names defined in WAI-ARIA. The landmark role for a block of navigation links is navigation, spelled out in full, and shortened forms are not recognized. Browsers and assistive technologies ignore a role token they do not know and treat the element as if it had no role attribute.

The <nav> element already has the navigation role built in, so it needs no role attribute at all. Changing the value to role="navigation" clears this error, but the validator then warns that the role is unnecessary on nav. Remove the attribute instead. When a page has more than one <nav>, give each one an aria-label such as "Main" or "Footer" so screen reader users can tell the landmarks apart.

Invalid example

<nav role="nav">
  <ul>
    <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
    <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Valid example

<nav>
  <ul>
    <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
    <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
  </ul>
</nav>

Learn more:

MDN Reference

MDN Web Docs: <nav>

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MDN Reference

MDN Web Docs: ARIA navigation role

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MDN Reference

MDN Web Docs: WAI-ARIA roles

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