Create accessible glossaries

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to create accessible glossaries in Adobe InDesign that preserve structure and improve navigation in EPUB (Reflowable) readers.

Create a flat glossary (single-level list)

Create paragraph styles

Create a new Paragraph Style for the description term and set the Tag to dt under Export Tagging.

Create a new Paragraph Style for the description definition and set the Tag to dd under Export Tagging.

Create the glossary list

Type the description term followed by its description details.

Apply the corresponding Paragraph Style to each term and definition.

Tip

You can link multiple definition terms (<dt>) to a single definition (<dd>), or provide multiple definitions (<dd>) for one term (<dt>).

Create a multilevel glossary

Create paragraph styles

Create separate Paragraph Styles for terms at each level and set the Tag to dt under Export Tagging.
Use Left Indent option under Indent and Spacing to define the hierarchy level. The indent value determines the Term node's hierarchy level.

Create separate Paragraph Styles for definitions and set the Tag to dd under Export Tagging.
Use Left Indent only for visual alignment. The indent value does not affect the hierarchy level when applied to a <dd>.

Create the glossary list

Type the description term followed by its description details.

Apply the corresponding Paragraph Style to each term and definition.
The InDesign document shows a glossary list beside exported EPUB HTML with definition list tags highlighted.
Create a glossary list and apply paragraph styles to terms and definitions.

Create a glossary using dfn tags

Create the glossary content with the definitions and apply the Character Style to the definitions.

Create a Character Style for the definition and enter dfn in the Tag field under Export Tagging.

Export to EPUB (Reflowable) format so e-readers recognize the dfn tags within the list.