Glossary

Words we keep using.

Short definitions for captions, subtitles, WebVTT, chapters, tags, and the other words this site uses.

Captions vs subtitlesCaptions include speech and non-speech sound. Subtitles usually carry dialogue only, often as a translation.
Auto-generated captionsA speech-to-text track YouTube builds for most public uploads. Useful, incomplete, and sometimes missing.
YouTube chaptersTimed headings a creator adds in the description. They become the jump marks under the player.
YouTube tagsHidden keywords on a video, capped at 500 characters in total. Viewers do not see them on the watch page.
WebVTTThe subtitle format browsers play natively. It can carry voices, positioning, and comments that SRT cannot.
TimecodeA clock reading on a frame of video, usually hours:minutes:seconds:frames. Not the same as a YouTube timestamp.
Closed captionsCaptions the viewer can turn on or off. Open captions are burned into the picture and cannot be switched off.
Description timestampsLines in a YouTube description that start with a time. They become clickable jumps, and they are how chapters are declared.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is this glossary for?

The words this site uses: captions, subtitles, WebVTT, chapters, tags, timecode.

Are captions the same as subtitles?

No. Captions include who is speaking and non-speech sound. Subtitles are usually translation only.

Where do I start?

If you only need one term, start with captions vs subtitles, then WebVTT.