closed caption

4 synonyms and 1 antonym for closed caption, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — On-screen text of a video's dialogue together with speaker labels and descriptions of relevant sounds, which the viewer can switch on or off — designed so that deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers get the audio information as well as the words.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

captions subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing SDH

Antonyms

open caption

How to use closed caption

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

turn on closed captions closed caption file closed captioning CC button

Neutral; standard in broadcasting, accessibility law and video platforms. Chiefly American in origin but now global.

Etymology

Closed because the text is carried hidden in the signal and must be decoded and switched on by the viewer, as opposed to open captions which are burned permanently into the picture.

Full origin of closed caption →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between closed captions and subtitles?

Subtitles assume you can hear and mainly transcribe speech, often translating it into another language. Closed captions assume you cannot hear and so also identify who is speaking and describe meaningful sounds — a door slamming, ominous music, laughter offscreen.

What is the difference between closed and open captions?

Closed captions can be turned on and off because the text is stored separately from the video. Open captions are permanently burned into the image, so every viewer sees them and no one can switch them off.

Why is it called CC?

CC is simply the initialism of closed caption, and the CC button on remote controls and video players has made the abbreviation more familiar than the full phrase.

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