# Jump the audio to any word

> Every word in a Canto transcript is timestamped. Tap a line to play the audio from that moment, follow along word by word, and jump to bookmarks.

Updated: 2026-08-16 · Canonical: https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/tap-to-play/

Every word in a transcript carries its own timestamp, so the transcript and the audio stay linked: tap a line to play from that moment, and while audio plays, the transcript follows along, highlighting the current line and the current word.

## How do I play from a specific point?

- **iOS** — tap a transcript line and playback jumps to the start of that line.
- **Android** — tap a line to play from there ("Play from here"). Long-press a line to copy its text instead — see [Copy transcripts and summaries](https://usecanto.com/help/export/copy-content/).
- **Web** — click the speaker label and timestamp above a line to seek there; the transcript text itself stays free for selecting and copying, so double-click the text when you want to seek from it.

Playback continues through the following lines until you pause; you don't need to tap line by line.

## What happens during playback?

The line under the playhead is highlighted, and within it the word currently being spoken is emphasized as the audio moves — useful for checking the transcript against what was actually said. The transcript scrolls to keep up.

One exception: segments whose text you've corrected play from their start but skip the word-by-word highlight, because the edited text no longer aligns with the original word timings. See [Edit a transcript](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/edit-a-transcript/).

## How does the scrubber work?

The player at the bottom of the recording has a scrubber for coarse seeking — drag anywhere in the timeline. Tapping the transcript is the precise tool; the scrubber is for skimming. Both move the same playhead, and the transcript highlight follows either way.

## What is the bookmarks strip?

If you added bookmarks while recording, they appear as a **Bookmarks** strip above the transcript — one chip per bookmark, labelled with its time. Tap a chip to jump the audio and the transcript to that moment. Bookmarks are the fastest way back to a decision or a quote you flagged live; see [Bookmarks and notes while recording](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/bookmarks-and-notes/).

## Troubleshooting

### Tapping a line doesn't start playback

The audio needs to be available first. If the recording is still uploading or transcribing, the transcript (and therefore tap-to-play) isn't there yet — see [How does transcription work in Canto?](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/how-transcription-works/). On a freshly opened recording, give the player a moment to load the audio.

### The highlight drifts from the audio

Word timings come from the original transcription, so they're accurate to within a fraction of a second on clean audio. Heavy background noise or crosstalk can make individual word timings slightly loose; line-level jumps stay reliable.

Related articles:

- [Add bookmarks and notes while recording](https://usecanto.com/help/recording/bookmarks-and-notes/)
- [Edit a transcript](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/edit-a-transcript/)
- [How does transcription work in Canto?](https://usecanto.com/help/transcription/how-transcription-works/)