Glossary
Timestamp (transcription)
A timestamp in a transcript is a time marker, such as 00:12:15, that shows when the nearby text was spoken in the recording. Timestamps let readers jump to a passage, and they can be attached to whole segments or to single words, with different accuracy.
Updated October 17, 20262 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called timecode, time code.
A timestamp in a transcript is a time marker that shows when the text next to it was spoken. The time is usually written as hours, minutes and seconds, such as 00:12:15, and it points to a position in the audio or video. Some tools call the same marker a timecode or a time code, a name that comes from video editing. In everyday transcription the terms are interchangeable, but the file formats used for captions treat them more strictly.
Timestamps work at three levels
A timestamp can mark a whole recording, a speaker turn or a single word. A transcript for a meeting often marks each speaker turn, so a reader can find where a decision was made. A caption file marks each subtitle block with a start and end time. Word-level timestamps are the most detailed, and they make it possible to highlight each word as the audio plays. The finer the level, the more work it takes to make the times accurate.
Caption formats write the time with milliseconds. In WebVTT, the thousandths of a second follow a full stop character 1. SubRip files use a comma for the same purpose instead, as covered in the SRT entry. The notation looks small, but a tool that expects one separator will reject the other.
A concrete example
A podcast transcript reads:
[00:12:15] Sarah: We should move the launch to March.
The timestamp tells a reader that the sentence begins 12 minutes and 15 seconds into the recording. A listener who doubts the wording can jump to that point and hear it. A transcript without timestamps forces the listener to search the whole file.
Timestamps can be wrong
Timestamps are estimates unless the tool measured them carefully. The WhisperX project notes that Whisper's own timestamps are given per utterance rather than per word, and that they can be inaccurate by several seconds 2. For a caption, a few seconds of drift is visible. For a legal or research citation, it can point to the wrong passage. Check a sample of times against the audio before you rely on them.
Why it matters for dictation
Dictation tools seldom add timestamps, because the words are typed as you speak. Timestamps matter when you dictate a recording, such as a voice memo or a meeting, and then want to check the text against the sound. A timestamped transcript gives you the link. If you need precise word timing, forced alignment can add it to a transcript you already have.
Timestamps often sit beside speaker labels. The labeling step is called speaker diarization, and a reading copy can drop the timing details while the working file keeps them. For how often to add them, see our guide to timestamps and speaker labels.
Related terms
- Forced alignment: fitting a known transcript to audio to get word times.
- SubRip subtitle file (SRT): a caption format built around timestamps.
- Verbatim transcription: a style where timestamps are often added to each speaker turn.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
- 1.
- 2.
Related terms
- Transcription: How to Turn Audio and Video Into TextThe topic this term belongs to
- Clean verbatimClean verbatim is a transcript that removes filler words, stutters, repetitions and false starts while keeping the speaker's wording and meaning. It is the usual choice for reading, captions and coding, where hesitations add noise rather than information.
- Closed captions (CC)Closed captions (CC) are a text version of a program's dialogue and relevant sounds that the viewer can turn on or off. The word closed means the viewer chooses whether to see them, which separates them from open captions.
- Forced alignmentForced alignment is the process of matching a known transcript to its audio so that each word or phone gets a start and end time. Unlike open speech recognition, it does not decide what was said; it only finds when each word was said.
- Open captionsOpen captions are text drawn onto the frames of a video, so every viewer sees them and nobody can switch them off. They are also called burned-in captions or hardcoded subtitles.
- SubRip subtitle file (SRT)A SubRip subtitle file, or SRT, is a plain-text file of numbered caption blocks. Each block has a start and end time in hours, minutes, seconds and milliseconds, followed by the caption text. It is one of the most common caption formats on the internet.
- Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH)SDH stands for subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. They show the dialogue plus the sound effects, music and speaker identification that a hearing viewer would get from the soundtrack.
- Transcription foot pedalA transcription foot pedal is a switch that controls audio playback with the foot, so a transcriber can start, pause and rewind a recording while typing. It is also called a foot control or foot pedal.
- TranscriptionistA transcriptionist is a person who listens to recorded speech and types it as text, such as a clinician's dictated report. Speech recognition now writes first drafts, so much of the work has shifted to checking and correcting machine text.
- Turnaround time (TAT)Turnaround time (TAT) is how long a transcriber or service takes to deliver a finished transcript after an order is received. Court schedules define it in calendar days or hours, counted from the order.
- Verbatim transcriptionVerbatim transcription writes down exactly what is said, including filler words, false starts, repetitions and non-speech sounds, with no tidying. Researchers and legal teams use it when the way someone speaks is part of the record.
- WebVTT (VTT)WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks, usually shortened to VTT) is a plain-text file format for timed captions and subtitles on the web. A .vtt file is a list of cues, and each cue gives a start time, an end time and the text to show.
Pages that use this term
- Transcription: How to Turn Audio and Video Into TextTopic
- Zoom, Teams and Google Meet TranscriptionGuide
- Video to Text: Transcribe Videos and YouTubeGuide
- Transcription Software: How to Choose OneGuide
- How to Transcribe an Interview: Audio to TextGuide
- Timestamps and Speaker Labels in TranscriptsGuide
- How do you mark inaudible speech in a transcript?Question
- How do you prepare interview transcripts for qualitative analysis?Question
- How do you transcribe a podcast?Question
- How do you transcribe audio with timestamps for free?Question
- How often should you add timestamps to a transcript?Question
- What does a good transcript look like?Question
- Clean verbatimGlossary
- Forced alignmentGlossary
- SubRip subtitle file (SRT)Glossary
- Verbatim transcriptionGlossary
- WebVTT (VTT)Glossary