Can I add timestamps to lyrics without any tool?

Yes, by playing the song and typing a timestamp at each line in a text editor. It works and it is free, but a three-minute song takes many passes, and any later edit shifts everything after it.

How long does automatic alignment take?

Ordinarily a fraction of the song's length rather than multiple playthroughs. The manual review afterwards is usually the longer part, and only on tracks where the lyric text needed fixing.

Why does my timing drift halfway through the song?

Almost always because the lyric text stopped matching the performance — a missing repeat of a chorus is the usual culprit. Fix the text and re-align rather than shifting the timestamps.

Do I need word-level timestamps?

Only if you want word-by-word highlighting or custom animation. Line-level timing is fine for ordinary synced lyrics and subtitles.

Will it work on a language other than English?

Alignment is not English-only, and the app interface is available in many languages. Right-to-left scripts display in their correct direction throughout the tool.

What can I download at the end?

Finished alignments export as LRC, SRT, VTT, and JSON.

How to Add Timestamps to Lyrics

To add timestamps to lyrics, pair the audio with lyric text that matches what is actually sung, then let alignment place each word on the timeline. Review the lines it was unsure about, correct the text where it disagreed with the performance, and export a timed file.

You can also do it by hand in a text editor. That is slower and more fragile, but it is worth understanding, because it explains why the text you paste matters more than any setting.

Add timestamps to my lyrics

Try it free, then see pricing for longer monthly use.

The eight-step process

Get the audio and the lyrics together. Have the exact audio file you want to time, and the lyrics as a plain text you can edit. The words must match the take, not a published lyric sheet.
Clean the lyric text. Repeat every line that is sung more than once, write out audible ad-libs and spoken parts, and remove section labels such as [Chorus] that nobody sings.
Upload the audio and paste the lyrics. Open the generator, add the audio file, and paste the cleaned lyrics into the lyrics box.
Choose your output formats. Tick LRC for music players, SRT or VTT for video captions, and JSON if you are building something custom. You can select more than one.
Run the alignment. Start the job and wait for it to finish. Each word comes back with a start time, an end time, and a confidence value.
Review the flagged lines. Lines the aligner skipped or was unsure about are highlighted. Edit the lyric text, include or exclude lines, and re-align until the text matches the performance.
Preview and fine-tune. Play the audio with the words highlighting in time. For millisecond precision, open the manual timing editor and nudge individual words.
Download the timed file. Export your chosen formats and load them into your player, editor, or app.

The LyricTimestamps generator showing the audio upload area, the lyrics box with an accuracy tip, and output format checkboxes.

Why the lyric text decides the result

Alignment matches a sequence of words to a vocal. It never adds words and never removes them, so anything wrong in the sequence has to be absorbed by the timing around it. That is why nearly every timing problem is really a text problem.

The four most common text problems

A chorus written once but sung three times.
Section labels and stage directions left in the text.
Audible ad-libs, count-ins, and spoken tags missing from the text.
Sections in the published order rather than the recorded order.

Doing it manually, for comparison

The manual method is simple: play the song, note the moment each line begins, and write the time in front of the line. For LRC that means bracketed times; for SRT it means numbered cues with a start and an end.

Hand-written LRC

[00:12.480]I remember every word you said
[00:16.020]Standing in the rain again

It is honest work and it costs nothing, but a mistake early in the file means every later line is wrong, and word-by-word timing by hand is impractical for a whole song.

Fine-tuning to the millisecond

Automatic timing is generally close enough for synced lyrics and captions. Karaoke and motion work are less forgiving, so the manual timing editor lets you move individual word boundaries while keeping everything else intact, then export from the corrected version. If you change your mind, the original automatic timing can be restored.

Picking the output format

LRC for music players, SRT for video editors, VTT for web video, JSON for anything you are building yourself. The format comparison guide covers the syntax differences and the conversion pitfalls.

Timestamping questions

Can I add timestamps to lyrics without any tool?: Yes, by playing the song and typing a timestamp at each line in a text editor. It works and it is free, but a three-minute song takes many passes, and any later edit shifts everything after it.
How long does automatic alignment take?: Ordinarily a fraction of the song's length rather than multiple playthroughs. The manual review afterwards is usually the longer part, and only on tracks where the lyric text needed fixing.
Why does my timing drift halfway through the song?: Almost always because the lyric text stopped matching the performance — a missing repeat of a chorus is the usual culprit. Fix the text and re-align rather than shifting the timestamps.
Do I need word-level timestamps?: Only if you want word-by-word highlighting or custom animation. Line-level timing is fine for ordinary synced lyrics and subtitles.
Will it work on a language other than English?: Alignment is not English-only, and the app interface is available in many languages. Right-to-left scripts display in their correct direction throughout the tool.
What can I download at the end?: Finished alignments export as LRC, SRT, VTT, and JSON.

Start with your song