Closed captioning symbol

The letters CC on a rounded card, marking captioned content.

Also known as: CC symbol, Captions icon, Subtitles symbol, Closed caption logo

AccessibilityEveryday & digitalStandard profile

Meanings

Two Cs on a card shape mark content that carries captions which can be switched on. The distinction it encodes — closed captions the viewer turns on, versus open captions always burned into the picture — is the whole point of the word 'closed'.

Officially standardisedVerified fact
Marks video content for which captions are available and can be switched on by the viewer.
Contexts: Public information
Common modern usageVerified fact
Means the captions are optional rather than permanent: 'closed' captions are carried alongside the picture and turned on by the viewer, while 'open' captions are part of the image and cannot be switched off.
Contexts: Public information
Common modern usageCommon usage
Is often used interchangeably with the subtitle symbol, although the two serve different needs: captions convey speaker identity and relevant non-speech sound, subtitles usually carry dialogue alone.
The distinction is maintained in broadcast practice and in accessibility guidance, but the two terms are used loosely by the public and by some streaming interfaces.
Contexts: Public information

Visual description

Two capital letter Cs side by side, the second often partly overlapping or set inside the first, on a rounded rectangular card.

Symmetry: none
Orientation: upright

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is defined by a current official standard.

Sources

Closed captioning
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity, origin summary and adoption context, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Disability Access Symbols
Graphic Artists Guild · retrieved 2026-07-31
The Guild is the issuing body for this set and defines each symbol, so it is authoritative for what these marks mean and how they are drawn. It is not a standards organisation: the set is a voluntary design resource with no legal force, and displaying a symbol from it is not evidence that any legal accessibility obligation has been met.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31

Part of

Accessibility and assistive-provision symbols

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Meanings

Officially standardisedVerified fact

Marks video content for which captions are available and can be switched on by the viewer.

Contexts: Public information

Common modern usageVerified fact

Means the captions are optional rather than permanent: 'closed' captions are carried alongside the picture and turned on by the viewer, while 'open' captions are part of the image and cannot be switched off.

Contexts: Public information

Common modern usageCommon usage

Is often used interchangeably with the subtitle symbol, although the two serve different needs: captions convey speaker identity and relevant non-speech sound, subtitles usually carry dialogue alone.

The distinction is maintained in broadcast practice and in accessibility guidance, but the two terms are used loosely by the public and by some streaming interfaces.

Contexts: Public information

Confidence

IdentityHigh confidence: High confidence because the identity is defined by a current official standard.
Historical originModerate confidence: Moderate confidence because the historical origin is documented in encyclopedic references, but the regional or cultural match to this specific claim is not precise.
Current useHigh confidence: High confidence because the current use is defined by a current official standard.
Visual matchHigh confidence: High confidence because the visual match is defined by a current official standard.

Sources

Closed captioning
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-31
Tertiary reference. Used for widely-agreed identity, origin summary and adoption context, not for contested detail or exact dates.
Disability Access Symbols
Graphic Artists Guild · retrieved 2026-07-31
The Guild is the issuing body for this set and defines each symbol, so it is authoritative for what these marks mean and how they are drawn. It is not a standards organisation: the set is a voluntary design resource with no legal force, and displaying a symbol from it is not evidence that any legal accessibility obligation has been met.

Last reviewed 2026-07-31