Audio accessibility comes down to one question: can everyone in your audience follow what is said? Upload a podcast episode, course video soundtrack, voiceover or audio-described track, and the AI reviews it with listeners who are hard of hearing, and people who rely on captions or assistive technology, in mind. It rates speech intelligibility, checks whether music or background noise competes with the voice, judges how well any audio description fits into the gaps, and compares a caption file with the speech when you provide one. You get an accessibility score from 0 to 100, notes that map findings to the relevant WCAG success criteria, and a prioritized list of changes. It is a review to guide your work, not a compliance certificate.
Example result
Input
A 3-minute excerpt from an interview podcast with two hosts, a guest on a remote call, and background music under the intro.
Output
Accessibility score: 62. Clarity and intelligibility: the two in-studio hosts are clear. The remote guest is noticeably quieter and slightly muffled, and several word endings are lost. Background noise impact: intro music continues for about 20 seconds under speech at a level likely to mask it for listeners with hearing loss. WCAG 1.4.7 (Low or No Background Audio) suggests background sounds about 20 dB below foreground speech for prerecorded speech; this mix appears well short of that. Speech clarity for assistive technologies: crosstalk at 1:40 would likely confuse automatic captions. Features present or missing: no transcript or caption file supplied, so caption accuracy could not be checked. Recommendations: level-match the guest, duck the music, and publish a transcript.
Scores
How it works
How Audio Accessibility Checker works
- 01
Upload the audio you publish
Sign in and upload the final mix, the same file your audience will hear. If you want captions checked, paste the relevant text into the optional instructions box. Choose the AI model.
- 02
Test intelligibility
The AI listens for mumbled or fast passages, overlapping speakers, uneven levels between hosts, and words that would be hard to catch for someone with reduced high-frequency hearing.
- 03
Check the mix and description
It judges whether background music and effects sit low enough under speech, and, if the track includes audio description, whether it is clear, well timed and avoids talking over dialogue.
- 04
Map findings to guidelines
Findings are related to WCAG topics such as captions, audio description, transcripts, and low or no background audio, then ranked into recommendations with an overall score.
Use cases
Who it is for
Podcasters publishing transcripts
Find the passages where speech is hardest to follow before you publish, and fix them in the edit rather than relying on the transcript to cover for them.
Course and training producers
Review lecture audio for the clarity problems that affect learners with hearing loss and non-native speakers, then prioritize which modules to re-record.
Audio description writers and narrators
Check that described segments fit the natural pauses, that the narration is easy to hear over the soundtrack, and that it does not step on dialogue.
Accessibility reviewers preparing an audit
Get a structured first pass on the audio side of a video or audio asset, so your manual review can focus on the issues most likely to matter.
Tips
Get better results
- Upload the final mastered file, not the raw voice track; accessibility problems often come from the music and effects added later.
- Include a section with music or effects under speech, since that is where masking problems appear.
- If you have captions or a transcript, include the relevant excerpt so the accuracy check has something to compare.
- Fix level differences between speakers first. It is usually the cheapest change with the biggest effect.
- Re-run the file after changes and compare the background audio and intelligibility scores.
Limitations
What it can't tell you
This tool does not certify WCAG, Section 508, ADA or any other compliance, and a high score is not proof of conformance. WCAG conformance depends on the whole page or product, including captions, transcripts and player controls, and needs a manual review, ideally with input from disabled users. The AI's loudness and background level judgments are estimates from listening, not measurements, so verify borderline cases with a loudness meter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Audio Accessibility Checker questions
What makes audio accessible?
Accessible audio has speech that is clear and consistent in level, background music and effects kept well below the voice, and a text alternative: a transcript for audio-only content, captions for video, and audio description where visual information matters. This tool focuses on the sound itself and flags which of those alternatives are missing.
Which WCAG criteria apply to audio?
The main ones are 1.2.1 (audio-only and video-only alternatives), 1.2.2 and 1.2.4 (captions), 1.2.3 and 1.2.5 (audio description), 1.4.2 (audio control for sound that plays automatically) and 1.4.7 (low or no background audio, level AAA). The report relates its findings to these, but meeting them also depends on your player and page.
Does this tool certify that my content is WCAG compliant?
No. It reviews the audio and points out likely problems, which helps you get closer to conformance. It cannot see your website, media player, caption display or keyboard controls, all of which count. A formal audit by an accessibility specialist is the way to claim conformance.
How do I make my podcast more accessible?
Publish a full transcript, keep hosts and guests at similar loudness, avoid music under speech or keep it very low, reduce crosstalk, and ask remote guests to use a headset mic. Run an episode through this checker to see which of these matters most for your show.
Can it check audio description quality?
Yes, when the track includes description. The AI listens to whether descriptions are clear, placed in natural gaps, spoken at an understandable pace and loud enough over the soundtrack. To write new descriptions, the audio description generator is the better starting point.
Is this included in every plan?
It is one of the AI tools available on LindaleAI's paid plans, with each check using credits from your monthly balance. See the pricing page for current plans.
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Audio Accessibility Checker uses credits from a paid LindaleAI plan. See pricing