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Word by word captions in Premiere Pro

Word-by-word captions can mean a single word on screen or a full line with the spoken word highlighted. In current Premiere versions, use Layout > Single Word in Create Captions for the first look. For the moving highlight, use timed graphics or a caption plugin.

Use the native Single Word layout

1. Transcribe your sequence in the Text panel.
2. Choose Create captions from transcript in the Captions tab.
3. Expand Captioning Preferences and select Layout > Single Word.
4. Create the captions, style them in Properties, and review their timing.

If the option is absent, check the layouts available in your installed version. Lowering the character limit is not equivalent to a dedicated single-word layout.

Highlight the spoken word inside a line

For karaoke highlighting, keep a few words visible and change the active word's appearance as it is spoken. You can upgrade captions to graphics and split or animate them manually, or generate timed graphics with a plugin. See the spoken-word highlighting guide.

Choose the delivery format

Native caption tracks can produce caption files in supported formats. Animated graphics render into the picture. Keep a native track as well if your client needs SRT or closed captions.

Compare the animated caption workflows, or start with the full caption setup guide.

Reference: Adobe's Single Word layout instructions.