Set the lang attribute on <html> — Cursor

Missing lang attribute means screen readers use the wrong pronunciation and Google may serve your page to the wrong language market.

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Fixing this in Cursor

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In Cursor you edit real files, so this fix lands via direct diffs instead of a regenerated project. Paste the prompt below into your Cursor chat and the fix rolls out across the project in one pass.

Using a different tool? Pick your stack:

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The prompt for Cursor

Copy and paste this into your Cursor chat exactly as-is.

Apply these changes to my codebase. Edit the files directly and keep existing formatting:

Add lang attribute to HTML

1. Add lang="en" (or the correct language) to the <html> tag.

Why this matters

The lang attribute tells browsers, screen readers, and search engines which language the page is in. Without it, screen readers use the OS default (often wrong), and Google may misidentify the target market.

For multilingual sites, set lang correctly on each locale and use hreflang tags for alternates. This is how Google decides which version to serve for German-speaking users vs. English-speaking.

How to use this prompt in Cursor

1. Open your Cursor project.
2. Copy the prompt above with the copy button.
3. Paste into the Cursor chat and send.
4. Review the diff, accept the changes, redeploy.
5. Verify the fix using the checklist below.

Common mistakes to avoid

error_outlineLeaving the default `lang="en"` on a German site — Google serves English users.
error_outlineForgetting to update lang when adding i18n support.
error_outlineUsing `lang="en-US"` for a global English site — en-US is fine, but `en` is enough.

How to verify the fix worked

check_circleView source — `<html lang="...">` matches your content language.
check_circleLighthouse Accessibility → "HTML has a lang attribute" passes.
check_circleGoogle Search Console → International Targeting report — matches your intent.

Frequently asked questions

Should I use en or en-US?expand_more

Either works. en-US for US-specific English; en for general. Both pass accessibility.

How do I handle multilingual pages?expand_more

One `lang` per page matching the content. Use hreflang tags in the head to link between language versions.

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