Best Guess Words
How to mark and format uncertain or best guess words for client review.
Best Guess Words
If a word is unclear, make a best guess and place it in square brackets with a timestamp. For example:
"The dog's name was [woofter 0:10:00 ]."
For subsequent mentions, brackets and timestamps are not needed:
"The dog's name was [woofter 0:10:00 ]. The cat's name was also woofter."
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Best Practices
- Guess phonetically if unsure—clients can often identify the correct word from a close guess
- Be consistent: spell recurring guessed words the same way throughout
- Focus on proper nouns, names, and brands, as these are most helpful for clients
This approach helps clients quickly review and correct uncertain words in their transcripts.