Although Descript’s transcription is up to 95% accurate with high-quality audio files, sometimes, the timing of the transcript may not match the audio exactly. You might notice sections where the words seem out of sync or misaligned. This can happen due to factors like poor audio quality, background noise, or multiple speakers talking at once.

When Descript detects an alignment issue, it may highlight the affected words with a solid red underline—indicating sections that may need manual adjustment.

Other signs of misalignment include skipped words, overlapping phrases, or timing mismatches where the transcript appears ahead of or behind the spoken audio. Misalignment can also cause tools like remove filler words to incorrectly clip the underlying audio.

How to address common issues with transcription alignment:

• Adjust alignment with The Wordbar – Use The Wordbar to fine-tune the timing of your transcript.

• Manually correct the transcript – Edit misaligned sections manually with the steps in our Correcting your transcript guide

• Force Fix Corrupted Alignment – If you see red underlines in your script, go to Help > Debug > Force Fix Corrupted Alignment.

• Re-align words in range: You can also use the Re-Align Words in Range tool for better alignment.
• Re-transcribe the file: Re-transcribing the file often resolves alignment issues.
• SquadCast repair feature: If your file is recorded and imported from SquadCast, try using the repair file feature.

These steps should resolve most transcription alignment issues. If you continue to experience problems, contact our support team for further assistance.