Subtitles vs Captions: What Is the Difference?

What is the difference between subtitles and captions? Subtitles give the dialogue for viewers who can hear, while captions also describe sounds for viewers who cannot. A caption may add a note such as [door slams] or [music] and often names the speaker. Subtitles assume the audio is audible.

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Key facts

Captions are built for accessibility, so they include non-speech information: sound effects, music cues and who is talking off screen.
In some regions the two words mean the same thing, and the label on a menu may not follow this strict distinction.
Closed captions can be switched on and off by the viewer, while open captions are burned into the picture and cannot be hidden.
SRT and VTT files can carry either kind: the format only stores timed text, and what the text contains is a choice by its author.
Subtitles for dialogue in another language are a separate service from captions, and a transcript does not provide them by itself.

What it looks like

1
00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:04,000
We should go.

// the same moment as a caption
2
00:00:04,200 --> 00:00:06,000
[door slams]
ANNA: Too late.

See the full list of languages, the tools and the glossary.

Frequently asked questions

Which one do I need for a lecture video?

If any viewers are deaf or hard of hearing, make captions. If you only want a text track for the dialogue, subtitles are enough.

Do SRT files hold captions or subtitles?

Either. An SRT file is a list of timed text blocks. If you add sound descriptions, it holds captions.

Is a transcript the same as subtitles?

No. A transcript is a continuous text. Subtitles break the text into short cues with start and end times.

Can I make a subtitle file with Potok?

Yes. Transcribe the recording and export the result as SRT or VTT. Sound descriptions such as [music] would be added by hand.

What is the difference between open and closed captions?

Closed captions travel as a separate track that a viewer can toggle. Open captions are part of the video image and always show.

Sources

Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.

Closed captioning (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked 2026-10-18
Subtitle (Wikipedia), Wikipedia · checked 2026-10-18

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