diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/timeline/GlyphLabel.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/GlyphLabel.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ddc367c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/GlyphLabel.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+/**
+ * A decorative glyph paired with a screen-reader-only text label — the
+ * non-color accessibility cue used across timeline cards (e.g. the ✉ on a
+ * letter title or letter-count). The glyph is `aria-hidden`; the label carries
+ * the meaning for assistive tech.
+ */
+let { glyph, label }: { glyph: string; label: string } = $props();
+</script>
+
+<span aria-hidden="true">{glyph}</span>
+<span class="sr-only">{label}</span>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/timeline/GlyphLabel.svelte.spec.ts b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/GlyphLabel.svelte.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..32930cb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/GlyphLabel.svelte.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { cleanup, render } from 'vitest-browser-svelte';
+import GlyphLabel from './GlyphLabel.svelte';
+
+afterEach(() => cleanup());
+
+describe('GlyphLabel', () => {
+	it('renders the glyph aria-hidden with an sr-only label sibling', () => {
+		render(GlyphLabel, { glyph: '✉', label: 'Brief' });
+		const hidden = document.querySelector('[aria-hidden="true"]');
+		expect(hidden?.textContent).toBe('✉');
+		const srOnly = document.querySelector('.sr-only');
+		expect(srOnly?.textContent).toBe('Brief');
+	});
+});
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/timeline/LetterCard.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/LetterCard.svelte
index a093ab30..4f44a6b4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/timeline/LetterCard.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/LetterCard.svelte
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 <script lang="ts">
 import * as m from '$lib/paraglide/messages.js';
 import { timelineDateLabel } from './dateLabel';
+import GlyphLabel from './GlyphLabel.svelte';
 import type { components } from '$lib/generated/api';
 
 type TimelineEntryDTO = components['schemas']['TimelineEntryDTO'];
@@ -33,8 +34,7 @@ const receiver = $derived(
 		     interpolated into the escaped user title; the title keeps its own
 		     pre-line span for multi-line OCR text (REQ-008/016/021). -->
 		<span class="font-serif text-sm font-bold break-words text-ink">
-			<span aria-hidden="true">✉</span>
-			<span class="sr-only">{m.timeline_letter_glyph_label()}</span>
+			<GlyphLabel glyph="✉" label={m.timeline_letter_glyph_label()} />
 			<span class="whitespace-pre-line">{entry.title}</span>
 		</span>
 	{/if}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/timeline/YearLetterStrip.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/YearLetterStrip.svelte
index 81b7dd89..51da6cd8 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/timeline/YearLetterStrip.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/timeline/YearLetterStrip.svelte
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import * as m from '$lib/paraglide/messages.js';
 import { getLocale } from '$lib/paraglide/runtime.js';
 import { formatTickLabel } from '$lib/shared/utils/monthBuckets';
 import Sparkline from '$lib/shared/primitives/Sparkline.svelte';
+import GlyphLabel from './GlyphLabel.svelte';
 import LetterCard from './LetterCard.svelte';
 import { monthHistogram } from './timelineDensity';
 import type { components } from '$lib/generated/api';
@@ -30,8 +31,7 @@ const dezLabel = $derived(formatTickLabel(`${year}-12`, getLocale()));
 <div class="mx-auto max-w-md rounded-sm border border-line bg-surface p-3 shadow-sm">
 	<div class="flex items-center justify-between gap-3">
 		<span class="font-sans text-sm font-bold text-brand-navy">
-			<span aria-hidden="true">✉</span>
-			<span class="sr-only">{m.timeline_letter_glyph_label()}</span>
+			<GlyphLabel glyph="✉" label={m.timeline_letter_glyph_label()} />
 			{m.timeline_letters_count({ count: letters.length })}
 		</span>
 		<button