Inaudible/Hard-to-Hear Words

Use of ****

If you absolutely cannot understand a word after rewinding a couple of times and/or it is not possible to determine a phonetic spelling, please use four asterisks ****, with a space before and after, as needed.  This should be the absolute last resort when trying to determine a spelling.  

Tips for Difficult Words

• Always consider the context of the surrounding words to try to determine what is being said. 
  
  
• Do not substitute nonsensical or made-up words.  If it doesn’t make sense, it’s probably not what the client said, and you would be better off using ****.
  
  
• If you cannot understand several words in a row, just use one set of ****.  Do not type a set of asterisks for each word in the phrase.
  
  
• The **** option should be used very sparingly.  Do not use **** in place of difficult names, unless it is completely obscured.  Names should always be spelled phonetically, to the best of your ability, so that the client has something to work with.  Don't forget to always check the job instructions, the client's word list and the custom file name to see if spellings are provided there. 

Mistyping Words/Phrases

A mistyped word/phrase (multiple consecutive words) is an obvious typing error of a common word/phrase.  The context of surrounding words must also be considered in identifying mistyped words. Please keep in mind that not all spelling errors are flagged by SpellCheck. If the word is in the dictionary (but you typed the wrong word) it will not be flagged.  These mistyped words can only be identified by reading through your document in its entirety before submitting.