transcribe

8 synonyms for transcribe, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Verb — To write out in full what is said in speech or on a recording.

Synonyms

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

render arrange adapt

Rare, literary or technical

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

write out take down type up transliterate copy out

Synonyms by Meaning

1. verb

To write out in full what is said in speech or on a recording.

“It took her four hours to transcribe the interview.”

write out take down type up transliterate

2. verb

To copy something out in written form, or to convert it into another script or notation.

“The monks transcribed the manuscripts by hand.”

copy out transliterate render

3. verb

To arrange a piece of music for a different instrument or voice from the one it was written for.

“He transcribed the cello suites for guitar.”

arrange adapt

How to use transcribe

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

transcribe an interview transcribe a recording automatically transcribed transcribe DNA

Neutral. The noun is transcription and the written result is a transcript.

Etymology

From Latin transcribere, from trans- 'across' and scribere 'to write'.

Full origin of transcribe →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between transcribe and translate?

Transcribing converts speech or one written form into another written form in the same language — for example turning an audio recording into text. Translating converts meaning from one language into another. A recorded Spanish interview can be transcribed into Spanish text and then translated into English.

What is the difference between transcribe and transliterate?

Transliteration swaps the letters of one script for those of another, letter by letter, without regard to how the word sounds to a native speaker. Transcription aims to represent the actual sounds. Both are used for names moving between alphabets, which is why one name can appear in several spellings.

What does transcription mean in biology?

It is the first step of gene expression, in which an enzyme reads a stretch of DNA and builds a matching strand of messenger RNA. That RNA is then translated into a protein, so biology reuses both words in a way that parallels their ordinary meanings.

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arrange adapt render transliterate

Nearby words

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