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Search in transcripts

  1. Input a search string
  2. Click on SEARCH

Input Panel

Sample Results

In TCSE, transcripts are divided into units called segments. A segment corresponds to one screen of subtitle text in TED Talks. Each segment typically contains one to three sentences, but may be cut off mid-sentence.

By default, TCSE uses expanded segments, which realign segment boundaries at sentence breaks so that each unit contains at least one complete sentence. This provides more natural context for each search result.

Results are paginated with page number buttons at the top and bottom of the results area. Use the Prev and Next buttons or click on a specific page number to navigate.

You can also switch to KWIC concordance view for a compact, linguistically-oriented display of results.

In regular search mode (without Advanced Search), you can use * as a wildcard to match any sequence of characters. For example, searching for take * granted will find phrases like take it for granted, take that for granted, etc.

Randomize result order

By default, search results are displayed in a randomized order so that you see a variety of talks rather than the same talks appearing at the top every time.

You can control this behavior in the settings panel:

  • Randomize Result Order checkbox: Uncheck to display results in their default database order instead.
  • Random seed slider: When randomization is enabled, adjust the slider (0.00–1.00) to get a different random ordering. Using the same seed value will always produce the same order, making results reproducible.