What this means
A list should be identified as a list in the page or document, so reading software recognizes its items. Typing dashes or numbers into ordinary paragraphs only imitates its appearance.
Passing examples
- Ordered instructions are a real numbered list.
- An unordered group of materials is a real bullet list.
- Sub-items are part of a nested list connected to their parent item.
Failing examples
- Ordinary paragraphs begin with typed '1.', '2.', and '3.' but have no list structure.
- Typed dashes imitate bullets without being a real list.
- Spaces and line breaks imitate sub-items with no underlying list relationship.
These principles apply whether the content comes from a website builder, a document tool, pasted content, or hand-written code.