Search FAQs

A Query Syntax Error usually means a search operator is malformed. Check for:

• Unbalanced quotation marks or parentheses.
• NEAR/ or NOTNEAR/ without a distance number, up to 500.
• A quoted phrase followed by ~ without a number.
• A query containing only excluded words, such as -word, with no positive term.

You do not need to escape slashes in ordinary subtitle text. Before searching, Filmot replaces punctuation such as /, \, ?, !, $, &, @, :, =, commas and square or curly brackets with spaces.

When Filmot can identify the problem, the error message describes it. If a correctly formed query still fails, send the exact search expression through the contact form or the Discord server linked there.

YouTube's automatic captions sometimes replace a censored word with [ __ ]. Filmot indexes that position using the marker #FUCK#. Search for #FUCK# to find those positions; it does not reveal the original words.

For example, #FUCK# NEAR/5 #Laughter# looks for a censored marker near a laughter caption. The search marker is the same across subtitle languages, but the words censored and the available caption versions can differ.

Yes. Filmot indexes descriptive caption labels using placeholders such as #Laughter#, #Music# and #Applause#. Search them like ordinary terms, alone or combined with other words. For example, "#FUCK# #Laughter#"~10 finds censored positions near laughter.

Sound labels depend on the subtitle language, and YouTube's wording can change over time. Italian tracks may use #Risate#, #Musica# and #Applauso#. The censored-word placeholder #FUCK# is the exception: Filmot uses the same marker in every language.