Fact · Transcription
The openai-whisper command-line tool has a --max_line_width option, which sets the maximum number of characters in a line before the line breaks. The help text says it requires word timestamps to be turned on.
Checked against its source on October 17, 2026
In the source's own words
“(requires --word_timestamps True) the maximum number of characters in a line before breaking the line”
whisper/transcribe.py: decoding defaults and command-line options (openai/whisper), OpenAI, GitHub (openai/whisper), 2026, Command-line argument parser, --max_line_width option.
Open the original- What it measures
- The option has no value by default. Setting it to 42 would follow the line length in Netflix's published subtitle benchmark, but the tool does not pick a value for you.
- What it does not show
- The option only controls where lines break. It does not check reading speed, and the right width depends on your language and the platform that plays the file.