diff --git a/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.nav.dom.test.tsx b/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.nav.dom.test.tsx
index 2121cc3c..74b3976b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.nav.dom.test.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.nav.dom.test.tsx
@@ -87,3 +87,14 @@ describe("VideoCard — keyboard navigation hooks", () => {
     expect(screen.getByTestId("video-card").hasAttribute("data-nav-index")).toBe(false);
   });
 });
+
+// E28 S3d4: the thumbnail link's only text is the duration badge, so each card's first Tab stop was
+// announced as "20:00". It is named by the title, like the title link beside it.
+describe("VideoCard — the thumbnail link", () => {
+  it("is named by the video's title, not its duration", () => {
+    renderCard("cards");
+    const links = screen.getAllByRole("link", { name: "Cicada 3301" });
+    expect(links.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2);
+    expect(screen.queryByRole("link", { name: "20:00" })).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.tsx b/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.tsx
index 2260ad72..9f0eea32 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/VideoCard.tsx
@@ -223,10 +223,13 @@ function Thumb({
   };
 
   return (
+    // Named by the title: its only text is the duration badge, so a screen reader heard the first Tab
+    // stop of every card as "44:10" (E28 S3d4).
     <a
       href={video.watch_url}
       target="_blank"
       rel="noreferrer"
+      aria-label={video.title ?? undefined}
       onClick={(e) => openInApp(e, video, onOpen)}
       className={clsx(
         "block relative rounded-xl overflow-hidden bg-surface border border-border shadow-md group-hover:shadow-2xl transition-shadow",