Watching lyrics scroll in perfect time with a song feels a little like magic. Behind the scenes, it is a simple and clever idea. Here is how synced lyrics work and how you can get more out of them.
Plain lyrics vs synced lyrics
Plain lyrics are just the words of a song. Synced lyrics add a timestamp to each line, so an app knows exactly when each line is sung.
The LRC format
The most common format for synced lyrics is called LRC. Each line starts with a timestamp in minutes, seconds and hundredths of a second, followed by the words:
[00:12.40] First line of the verse [00:16.85] Second line of the verse [00:21.10] Here comes the chorus
Some advanced files go further and time individual words, which allows karaoke-style highlighting.
How the player keeps lyrics in sync
- The app loads the timed lyrics for the song you are playing.
- Several times per second, it checks the current playback position.
- It highlights the line whose timestamp has most recently passed and scrolls it into view.
- If you seek to another part of the song — or tap a lyric line — the highlight jumps instantly to match.
Five ways to use live lyrics
- Learn a new favourite song in a few plays instead of a few weeks.
- Practise a language. Following lyrics in Hindi, Punjabi, Spanish or Korean is a fun way to build vocabulary and pronunciation.
- Host a karaoke night. Put Jammify on a laptop connected to a TV and let everyone sing along.
- Finally understand the words of fast rap verses and mumbled choruses.
- Improve accessibility for listeners who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Why lyrics are sometimes missing
Synced lyrics have to be created and licensed for each recording. New releases, rare live versions and instrumental tracks may not have synced lyrics yet.
Jammify shows synced lyrics for millions of songs. Open a song in Jammify and tap the lyrics button to try it — or explore all Jammify features.