Download on the App Store

Updated 2026-06-28

How to Add Karaoke (Word-by-Word) Captions on iPhone

By the iPhone Captions editorial team · Updated 2026-06-28

Karaoke captions — where each word highlights as it's spoken — are the look on most high-retention Reels, Shorts and TikToks. iPhone has no built-in tool for them, so you make them in a captioning app.

How do I make word-by-word (karaoke) captions on iPhone?

Use a captioning app that supports animated, word-level captions — iPhone has no native option. Subly generates word-by-word highlight captions on-device: import your clip, auto-transcribe, choose a karaoke style, and export. CapCut and Captions offer similar animated styles.

Why word-by-word captions work

Active captions that reveal or highlight each word as it's spoken keep the eye moving and the viewer reading — which helps watch time on muted, fast-scrolling feeds. They're a big part of why so many short videos look the same lately.

Make them on iPhone

  1. Import your clip. Open the app and select the video.
  2. Auto-transcribe. Generate captions with accurate word timing — Subly does this on-device.
  3. Choose a karaoke style. Pick a word-by-word highlight or pop-on animation, then set font, color and the highlight color.
  4. Check the timing. Make sure words land on the beat; fix any that are early or late.
  5. Export. Save the video with the animated captions baked in, ready to post.

Frequently asked questions

What are karaoke captions called?
They're usually called word-by-word, active, animated, or 'highlight' captions — the style where each word appears or lights up in time with the speech, like a karaoke lyric.
Can iPhone make animated captions without an app?
No. Neither Photos, iMovie nor the Clips app makes word-by-word highlight captions. You need a captioning app such as Subly, CapCut or Captions.
Do word-by-word captions really improve retention?
They help by keeping the viewer reading on muted autoplay, but they're not magic — clear audio, a strong first line and good pacing matter more. Treat the style as a finishing touch, not the whole video.

Related guides

Captions for Instagram ReelsAdd captions to an Instagram Reel on iPhone — use Instagram'Add subtitles on iPhoneAdd subtitles to a video on iPhone three ways — the free Cli

Written for iPhone users. App features and iOS steps can change between versions — check the latest before you rely on them. How we test & our sources →