Checks / Titles, headings and schema
Declared language differs from the text
The page says it is in one language (html lang) but most of its text is in another, so engines and assistants may file it under the wrong language and show it to the wrong readers.
lang_mismatch · Titles, headings and schema · Notice
What triggers it
A page of 100 or more words has text that is clearly in another of our five languages than its lang attribute declares: its common words reach 12% of the text and at least 1.6 times the declared language's share.
What to change
Translate the page or correct html lang and the hreflang entry to the language the text is really in.
Example
HTML to put in the page:
<html lang="fr">How to confirm the fix
- View Source: <html lang> names the language the visible text is written in
- Press 'Re-check 1 page'
How common it is
We have not measured how common this is on a sample of sites. Counts appear here when a study covers it.
About this check
| Check ID | lang_mismatch |
|---|---|
| Report section | Titles, headings and schema |
| Severity | Notice |
| How it is decided | Measured: read directly from the page or the server's response. |
| Added | Version 9, 24 October 2026 |
| Status | Measured in every report |
| Report gives the code | No, the fix is described in words |
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