How do I get the right pronunciation?

Get the AI to say a specific word the way you need it to sound.

Our Voice Model is generally very good at predicting pronunciation. However, a few things can trip it up: unfamiliar or rare nouns (i.e., company names, words borrowed from other languages, or specialized terminology), homonyms (read vs. read), acronyms, and numbers.

Here are some best practices for adjusting pronunciation to get the AI to say a specific word the way you need it to sound.

Best Practices for adjusting pronunciation

Acronyms as Words

For an acronym as a word, try spelling the word the way it sounds. For example, FEMA sounds better when you enter it as feema or ::FEE-ma::

Shorter Words

For a shorter word, try spelling the word the way it sounds. For example, edamame sounds better when you enter "edamawmay"  

We recommend using our Respellings tool for more accurate pronunciations to get ::ed-uh-MAW-may:: 

Longer Words

For a longer word, try breaking it up by syllables and adjusting the syllable that doesn't sound right.

For example, triiodothyronine sounds better when you enter it as "try idoe thighro neen" (including quotation marks).

If using our Respellings tool,  ::try-yuh-uh-doo-thy-ruh-neen::

Emphasize a Word or Phrase

Add quotation marks ("") around a word or phrase to let the AI know to pay particular attention.

Try a Respelling

Check out our Respellings Guide! 

Respellings give you a way to format a word in the Studio text editor that tells the AI exactly what sound each syllable should make and which syllables should be emphasized.