Glossary
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.
Updated October 17, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Also called .vtt, VTT, Web Video Text Tracks.
A WebVTT file is a plain-text file, usually saved with a .vtt extension, that holds timed captions or subtitles for a video. Web players read it and show each line of text at the right moment. The name stands for Web Video Text Tracks, and most people call it VTT.
A WebVTT file is a list of timed cues
WebVTT is a sequence of text segments, and each segment is tied to a time interval called a cue 1. A file must be UTF-8 text labeled with the MIME type text/vtt 2, so any text editor can open and correct it.
A short file looks like this:
WEBVTT
00:00:01.000 --> 00:00:03.500
Thanks for joining the call.
00:00:03.600 --> 00:00:06.200
Let's start with the agenda.
The first line is the header, WEBVTT. Each cue then gives a start time and an end time, and the timestamps put a full stop before the thousandths of a second 3.
WebVTT grew out of SRT
WebVTT and the older SubRip subtitle file (SRT) are close relatives. The W3C says the SRT format was used as the basis for the WebVTT text track format 4. That is why converting a caption file from one to the other is a routine step.
Why it matters for transcription
A transcript with timestamps can be turned into a WebVTT file. The same timed text then serves two jobs: it is searchable text for readers, and it is the caption track that a player shows on screen. The hard part is the timing. Each cue has to start when the speech starts, so a transcriber checks the timestamps against the audio, and tools use forced alignment to place words automatically. Where a caption must show who is talking, the file also needs speaker labels.
WebVTT is one of several caption formats. Our guide to captions and subtitles compares the formats and the rules for line length and timing. For turning a recording into text first, see how to transcribe audio to text, and for video specifically, see video to text.
Related terms
- SubRip subtitle file (SRT): the older format that WebVTT was based on.
- Closed captions: the viewer-controlled captions that a WebVTT track often carries.
- Timestamp: the time code that each cue starts and ends on.
- Forced alignment: the process that matches text to audio times.
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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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.
- 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.
- 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.
Pages that use this term
- Transcription: How to Turn Audio and Video Into TextTopic
- How to Transcribe Audio to TextGuide
- 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 transcribe a podcast?Question
- What is an SRT file, and how is it different from VTT?Question
- Closed captions (CC)Glossary
- Open captionsGlossary
- Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH)Glossary