Subtitles vs. captions
Definition
Subtitles transcribe or translate speech; captions also include sound cues for accessibility. Animated captions highlight each word as spoken.
Subtitles transcribe (or translate) the spoken words. Closed captions add speaker labels and sound cues for accessibility. Animated captions highlight each word as it is spoken — the punchy, karaoke-style text that dominates Shorts and Reels.
Captions matter because most social viewers start with sound off, they lift retention, and the transcript is indexable text for video SEO. Read the captions guide.