Writing Caption Emphasis
Writing Caption Emphasis records a distinct W3C-supported caption-writing task while keeping implementation mechanics and unsupported house-style rules outside the guidance.
Do not use all capital letters merely to emphasize a word in captions; W3C WAI lists all caps as a cue for yelling.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
The guidance is about caption wording conventions, not every visual styling mechanism a player may support.
Further guidance
Content
Keep ordinary emphasis out of all caps; reserve all-cap styling for the narrow speech cue documented for yelling when that distinction matters.
Practical Application
Do not use all caps merely as visual emphasis in caption text, because all caps can function as a speech cue for yelling. Preserve capitalization cues for their intended meaning and follow the platform’s caption style for other emphasis.
Purpose
This avoids turning ordinary emphasis into a false vocal cue while still conveying relevant delivery.
Reader Check
Could a viewer reasonably read the capitalization as a change in how the line was spoken rather than simple visual emphasis?
Worked Example
For ordinary stressed speech, avoid changing “I really need this today” to “I REALLY need this today” unless the audio actually supports a yelling cue under the captioning convention.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Transcribing Audio to Text — W3C WAI (opens in a new tab)World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative · W3C WAI guidance for identifying speakers and representing relevant audio information in transcripts and captions.