Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) Reference


You can use Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) in your output speech response to control how Alexa generates the speech. For example, you can add pauses and other speech effects.

About SSML

When the your skill returns a response to a user's request, you provide text that the Alexa service converts to speech. Alexa automatically handles normal punctuation, such as pausing after a period, or speaking a sentence ending in a question mark as a question.

However, in some cases you may want additional control over how Alexa generates the speech from the text in your response. For example, you may want a longer pause within the speech, or you may want a string of digits read back as a standard telephone number. The Alexa Skills Kit provides this type of control with Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) support.

SSML is a markup language that provides a standard way to mark up text for the generation of synthetic speech. The Alexa Skills Kit supports a subset of the tags defined in the SSML specification. The specific tags supported are listed in Supported SSML Tags.

Use SSML in your response

To use SSML, construct your output speech using the supported SSML tags. When sending back a response from your service, you must indicate that it is using SSML rather than plain text. If you construct the JSON response directly, provide the marked-up text in the outputSpeech property, but set the type to SSML instead of PlainText. Use the ssml property instead of text for the marked-up text:

"outputSpeech": {
    "type": "SSML",
    "ssml": "<speak>This output speech uses SSML.</speak>"
}

You can use SSML with both the normal output speech response and any re-prompt included in the response.

If you use the Alexa Skills Kit SDK for Node.js or Alexa Skills Kit SDK for Java, you do not have to include the speak tag for the SSML you provide, as that is handled by the SDK. Otherwise, the SSML you provide must be wrapped within <speak> tags. For example:

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<speak>
    Here is a number <w role="amazon:VBD">read</w>
    as a cardinal number:
    <say-as interpret-as="cardinal">12345</say-as>.
    Here is a word spelled out:
    <say-as interpret-as="spell-out">hello</say-as>.
</speak>

In the JSON output for the SSML, ensure either that quotation marks within the output are escaped, or use an appropriate mix of single and double quotation marks. Here single quotation marks are used for attributes, and the entire response is wrapped in double quotation marks.

{
    "outputSpeech": {
    "type": "SSML",
    "ssml": "<speak>
        Here is a number <w role='amazon:VBD'>read</w>
        as a cardinal number:
        <say-as interpret-as='cardinal'>12345</say-as>.
        Here is a word spelled out:
        <say-as interpret-as='spell-out'>hello</say-as>.</speak>"
    }
}

Supported SSML tags

The Alexa Skills Kit supports the following SSML tags (listed in alphabetic order):

Note that the Alexa service strips out any unsupported SSML tags included in the text you provide.

Apply multiple SSML tags to the same speech

You can combine most supported tags with each other to apply multiple effects on the speech. For instance, this example uses both the say-as and amazon:emotion tags. This tells Alexa to speak the entire string in an "excited" voice, and speak the provided number as individual digits:

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<speak>
    <amazon:emotion name="excited" intensity="medium">
        Five seconds till lift off!
        <say-as interpret-as="digits">54321</say-as>.
        Lift off!
    </amazon:emotion>
</speak>

Incompatible tags

Not all tags can be combined. The following tags cannot be applied to the same speech:

  • amazon:domain
    • You must combine <amazon:domain name="conversational"> with the <voice> tag and the Matthew or Joanna voice. The conversational style doesn't work with other voices, and it doesn't work on its own without <voice>.
    • You can combine <amazon:domain name="news"> with the <voice> tag and the Matthew, Joanna, and Lupe voices. The news style doesn't work with other voices.
    • You can't combine <amazon:domain name="long-form">, <amazon:domain name="music">, or <amazon:domain name="fun"> with <voice>.
  • amazon:emotion
  • speechcons

    Speechcons are implemented as the say-as tag with interpret-as set to interjection, for example: <say-as interpret-as="interjection">wow</say-as>.

    Note that say-as can be combined with other tags when you use other values for the interpret-as attribute. For example, you could combine amazon:emotion or emphasis with <say-as interpret-as="ordinal">1</say-as>.

  • voice
    • You can combine voice with the amazon:domain tag with the restrictions noted previously.
    • You can't combine voice with any of the other tags listed here.
  • emphasis
  • prosody with the pitch attribute (for example, <prosody pitch="x-low">…</pitch>)

For example, the following examples don't work:

Invalid SSML: voice used within amazon:emotion

<speak>
    <amazon:emotion name="disappointed" intensity="medium">
        I want to tell you a secret.
        <voice name="Kendra">I am not a real human.</voice>.
        Can you believe it?
    </amazon:emotion>
</speak>

Invalid SSML: amazon:emotion used within voice

<speak>
    I want to tell you a secret.
    <voice name="Kendra">
        <amazon:emotion name="disappointed" intensity="medium">
            I am not a real human.
        </amazon:emotion>
    </voice>.
    Can you believe it?
</speak>

Incompatible voice used with conversational or news style

<speak>
    <voice name="Kendra">
        <amazon:domain name="conversational">I really didn't know how this morning was going to start. And if I had known, I think I might have just stayed in bed.</amazon:domain>
    </voice>
</speak>

Invalid: Conversational style used without <voice> tag

<speak>
    <amazon:domain name="conversational">I really didn't know how this morning was going to start. And if I had known, I think I might have just stayed in bed.</amazon:domain>
</speak>

You can use the incompatible tags in the same speak string, as long as they are not applied to the same text string. For example, the following combination is valid:

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<speak>
    <amazon:emotion name="disappointed" intensity="medium">
        I want to tell you a secret.
    </amazon:emotion>
    <voice name="Kendra">
        I am not a real human.
    </voice>
    <amazon:emotion name="disappointed" intensity="high">Can you believe it?</amazon:emotion>
</speak>

In this case, the first line is spoken in a disappointed voice, the second line is spoken in the "Kendra" voice, and the final line uses the disappointed voice again.

amazon:domain

Applies different speaking styles to the speech. The styles are curated text-to-speech voices that use different variations of intonation, emphasis, pausing, and other techniques to match the speech to the content. For example, the news style makes Alexa's voice sound like what you might expect to hear in a TV or radio newscast, and was built primarily for customers to listen to news articles and other news-based content.

The amazon:domain tag takes the following required parameters:

Attribute Possible Values

name

The name of the speaking style to apply to the speech. Available styles:

  • conversational – Style voices to sound more conversational and less formal, more like how people sound when they speak to friends and family. The conversational style is available in English (US), Italian (IT), and Japanese (JP) skills. You can also use this style with Amazon Polly voices. For Amazon Polly, conversational requires the <voice> tag and the Matthew or Joanna voices.
  • long-form – Style the speech for long-form content such as podcasts, articles, and blogs. The long-form style can't be used with the voice tag. The long-form style is available in English (US) skills.
  • music – Style the speech for talking about music, video, or other multi-media content. The music style can't be used with the voice tag. The music style is available in English (US), English (CA), English (UK), and German (DE) skills.
  • news – Style the speech similar to what you hear when listening to the news on the radio or television. The news style can be combined with the voice tag and the Matthew, Joanna, and Lupe voices. The news style is available in English (US) and English (AU) skills.
  • fun – Style the speech to sound more friendly and animated in greetings, animation or children stories. The fun style is available in Japanese (JP) skills.

Examples

news

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<speak>
    <amazon:domain name="news">
        Latest news: The conversational and news styles are now available for the Matthew or Joanna voices!
    </amazon:domain>
</speak>

music

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<speak>
    <amazon:domain name="music">
        Sweet Child O' Mine by Guns N' Roses became one of their most
        successful singles topping the billboard Hot 100 in 1988. Slash's
        guitar solo on this song was ranked the 37th greatest solo of all
        time. Here's Sweet Child O' Mine.
    </amazon:domain>
</speak>

long-form

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<speak>
    <amazon:domain name="long-form">
        Meet Echo Dot. Our most popular Echo is now even better.
        With a new speaker and design, Echo Dot is a voice-controlled smart speaker with Alexa,
        perfect for any room. Just ask for music, news, information, and more.
        You can also call almost anyone and control compatible smart home devices with your voice.
    </amazon:domain>
</speak>

fun

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<speak>
    <amazon:domain name="fun">
        布団が、ふっとんだ。
    </amazon:domain>
</speak>

news combined with voice

This example uses two different voices in the same response.

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<speak>
    <voice name="Matthew">
        <amazon:domain name="news">
            Latest news: The conversational and news styles are now available for the Matthew or Joanna voices!
        </amazon:domain>
    </voice>
    <voice name="Joanna">
        <amazon:domain name="conversational">
            That was all for today. Thank you.
        </amazon:domain>
    </voice>
</speak>

conversational combined with voice

The <amazon:domain name="conversational"> works with with the <voice> tag and the Matthew and Joanna voices. You can't use conversational without the <voice> tag.

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<voice name="Matthew">
    <amazon:domain name="conversational">I really didn't know how this morning was going to start. And if I had known, I think I might have just stayed in bed.
    </amazon:domain>
</voice>

You can combine amazon:domain with all other tags, except for those listed in incompatible tags.

Best practices for the amazon:domain tag

These recommendations can help you build a better customer experience with the amazon:domain tag:

  • Use Alexa's default voice without the amazon:domain tag in the intro to your skill. This sets a "baseline", so the specialized speaking styled responses later have more impact.
  • Don't overdo the use of Alexa's speaking styles, as this might create a poor or unpleasant user experience. For example, don't switch between different speaking styles frequently.
  • Test how your responses sound with a device or the simulator in the developer console and verify that Alexa's voice and speaking style is appropriate for the response.

amazon:effect

Applies Amazon-specific effects to the speech.

Attribute Possible Values

name

The name of the effect to apply to the speech. Available effects:

  • whispered: Applies a whispering effect to the speech.

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<speak>
    I want to tell you a secret.
    <amazon:effect name="whispered">I am not a real human.</amazon:effect>.
    Can you believe it?
</speak>

amazon:emotion

The amazon:emotion tag causes Alexa to express emotion when speaking. This can be useful for stories, games, news updates and other narrative content. For instance, in a game, you might use the "excited" emotion for correct answers and the "disappointed" emotion for incorrect answers.

The amazon:emotion tag takes the following required parameters:

Attribute Possible Values

name

The name of the emotion to apply to the speech. Available emotions:

  • excited
  • disappointed

intensity

The intensity or strength of the emotion to express. Possible values:

  • low
  • medium
  • high

Examples

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<speak>
    <amazon:emotion name="excited" intensity="medium">
        Christina wins this round!
    </amazon:emotion>
</speak>

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<speak>
    <amazon:emotion name="disappointed" intensity="high">
        Here I am with a brain the size of a planet
        and they ask me to pick up a piece of paper.
    </amazon:emotion>
</speak>

Examples of amazon:emotion combined with other SSML tags

You can combine amazon:emotion with all other tags, except for those listed in incompatible tags.

For example, this adds a three-second pause in the middle of speech with the "excited" emotion:

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<speak>
    <amazon:emotion name="excited" intensity="medium">
        Okay, let's be mindful and take a deep breath.
        <break time="3s"/>
        Now don't we feel better?
    </amazon:emotion>
</speak>

This example uses prosody to increase the volume of the "disappointed" speech.

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<speak>
    This is how I normally speak.
    <amazon:emotion name="disappointed" intensity="high">
        This is how I speak when I am disappointed.
        <prosody volume="x-loud">Now I am telling you I am disappointed very loudly!</prosody>
    </amazon:emotion>
</speak>

Best practices for the amazon:emotion tag

These recommendations can help you build a better customer experience with the amazon:emotion tag:

  • Use Alexa's default voice without the amazon:emotion tag in the intro to your skill. This sets a "baseline", so the emotional responses later can have more impact.
  • Don't overuse emotional responses, as this can create a poor or unpleasant customer experience. Consider these guidelines:
    • Don't switch between excited and disappointed extremely frequently.
    • Don't use the emotions in every response.
  • Try the medium intensity initially, then adjust the intensity as needed. Using medium in most instances gives you more options for adjusting the intensity up or down depending on the situation.
  • Test how your responses sound with a device or the simulator in the developer console and ensure that Alexa's voice is appropriate for the response.

audio

The audio tag lets you provide the URL for an MP3 file that the Alexa service can play while rendering a response. You can use this to embed short, pre-recorded audio within your service's response. For example, you could include sound effects alongside your text-to-speech responses, or provide responses using a voice associated with your brand.

Attribute Possible Values

src

Specifies the URL for the MP3 file. Note the following requirements and limitations:

  • The MP3 must be hosted at an Internet-accessible HTTPS endpoint. HTTPS is required, and the domain hosting the MP3 file must present a valid, trusted SSL certificate. Self-signed certificates cannot be used.
  • The MP3 must not contain any customer-specific or other sensitive information.
  • The MP3 must be a valid MP3 file (MPEG version 2).
  • For your speech response, the audio file cannot be longer than 240 seconds.
  • The combined total time for all audio files in the outputSpeech property of the response cannot be more than 240 seconds.
  • The combined total time for all audio files in the reprompt property of the response cannot be more than 90 seconds.
  • The bit rate must be 48 kbps. Note that this bit rate gives a good result when used with spoken content, but is generally not a high enough quality for music.
  • The sample rate must be 22050Hz, 24000Hz, or 16000Hz.

You may need to use converter software to convert your MP3 files to the required codec version (MPEG version 2) and bit rate (48 kbps).

Include the audio tag within your text-to-speech response within the speak tag. Alexa plays the MP3 at the specified point within the text to speech. For example:

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<speak>
    Welcome to Ride Hailer.
    <audio src="soundbank://soundlibrary/transportation/amzn_sfx_car_accelerate_01" />
    You can order a ride, or request a fare estimate.
    Which will it be?
</speak>

When Alexa renders this response, it would sound like this:

Alexa: Welcome to Ride Hailer.
(the specified amzn_sfx_car_accelerate_01.mp3 audio file plays)
Alexa: You can order a ride, or request a fare estimate. Which will it be?

A single response sent by your service can include multiple audio tags according to the following limits:

  • No more than five audio files can be used in a single response.
  • The combined total time for all audio files in the outputSpeech property of the response cannot be more than 240 seconds.
  • The combined total time for all audio files in the reprompt property of the response cannot be more than 90 seconds.

Converting audio files to an Alexa-friendly format

You can use converter software to convert your MP3 files to the required codec version (MPEG version 2) and bit rate (48 kbps). One option is a command-line tool, FFmpeg.

This sample command converts the provided <input-file> to an MP3 file that works with the audio tag. This version uses 16000 as the sample rate:

ffmpeg -i <input-file> -ac 2 -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 48k -ar 16000 -write_xing 0 <output-file>

You might get better quality by increasing the sample rate to 24000 like this:

ffmpeg -i <input-file> -ac 2 -codec:a libmp3lame -b:a 48k -ar 24000 -write_xing 0 <output-file>

See the documentation for FFmpeg for details about command line options.

Another option is Audacity:

  1. Open the file to convert.
  2. Set the Project Rate in the lower-left corner to 16000.
  3. Click File > Export Audio and change the Save as type to MP3 Files.
  4. Click Options, set the Quality to 48 kbps and the Bit Rate Mode to Constant.

This requires the Lame library, which can be found at: http://lame.buanzo.org/#lamewindl.

Hosting the audio files for your skill

The MP3 files you use to provide audio must be hosted on an endpoint that uses HTTPS. The endpoint must provide an SSL certificate signed by an Amazon-approved certificate authority. Many content hosting services provide this. For example, you could host your files at a service such as Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) (an Amazon Web Services offering).

We don't require that you authenticate the requests for the audio files. Therefore, you must not include any customer-specific or sensitive information in these audio files. For example, building a custom MP3 file in response to a user's request, and including sensitive information within the audio, is not allowed.

For optimal performance, we recommend that you host your MP3 files for SSML responses in close proximity to where your skill is hosted. For example, if the Lambda function for your skill is hosted in the US West (Oregon) region, you will get better performance if you upload your MP3s to a US West (Oregon) S3 bucket.

HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) of audio files

Alexa supports SSML audio tags that point toward HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) streams, provided that the audio data conforms to the listed specifications. Due to the streaming approach that Alexa uses, there is no benefit to using HLS streams instead of statically served MP3 files. Furthermore, unlike with statically served MP3 files, an SSML response that contains an HLS stream that violates the 240-second duration limit will fail silently. This silent failure means that the playback is stopped before the limit is hit, no error message is generated on the customer device, and the skill does not receive an error request. If your skill uses SSML responses that contain HLS streams, ensure that you take particular care to test the audio returned in its responses.

break

Represents a pause in the speech. Set the length of the pause with the strength or time attributes.

Attribute Possible Values

strength

  • none: No pause should be outputted. This can be used to remove a pause that would normally occur (such as after a period).
  • x-weak: No pause should be outputted (same as none).
  • weak: Treat adjacent words as if separated by a single comma (equivalent to medium).
  • medium: Treat adjacent words as if separated by a single comma.
  • strong: Make a sentence break (equivalent to using the s tag).
  • x-strong: Make a paragraph break (equivalent to using the p tag).

time

Duration of the pause; up to 10 seconds (10s) or 10000 milliseconds (10000ms). Include the unit with the time (s or ms).

The default is medium. This is used if you don't specify any attributes, or if you provide any unsupported attribute values.

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<speak>
    There is a three second pause here <break time="3s"/>
    then the speech continues.
</speak>

emphasis

Emphasize the tagged words or phrases. Emphasis changes rate and volume of the speech. More emphasis is spoken louder and slower. Less emphasis is quieter and faster.

Attribute Possible Values

level

  • strong: Increase the volume and slow down the speaking rate so the speech is louder and slower.
  • moderate: Increase the volume and slow down the speaking rate, but not as much as when set to strong. This is used as a default if level is not provided.
  • reduced: Decrease the volume and speed up the speaking rate. The speech is softer and faster.

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<speak>
    I already told you I
    <emphasis level="strong">really like</emphasis>
    that person.
</speak>

You can combine emphasis with all other tags, except for those listed in incompatible tags.

lang

Use lang to specify the language model and rules to speak the tagged content as if it were written in the language specified by the xml:lang attribute. Words and phrases in other languages usually sound better when enclosed with the lang tag. This is useful for short phrases in other languages, such as the names of restaurants or shops.

For example, here is how to pronounce "Paris" using the language code fr-FR (which refers to the French language as spoken in France).

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<speak>
    In Paris, they pronounce it <lang xml:lang="fr-FR">Paris</lang>
</speak>

Alexa adapts the pronunciation to use the sounds available in the original language of the skill, so it may not sound exactly like a native speaker. To achieve a more natural voice than what you get with the lang tag alone, use the lang tag and the voice tag together. With the voice tag, you can select a voice customized for a specific language. Thus, ensure the language of the tagged text matches the lang attribute, and that the voice attribute represents the language of the text also.

For example, consider the French phrase "J'adore chanter" in an English (US) skill, using the lang tag without the voice tag. Alexa speaks the phrase with English-like pronunciation.

No <lang> Tag With <lang> Tag Set to French
<speak>J'adore chanter</speak>
<speak>
    <lang xml:lang="fr-FR">J'adore chanter</lang>
</speak>

Here, Alexa uses French pronunciation with sounds available in English for a "French-like" pronunciation:

A perfect French pronunciation would include a uvular trill (/R/) in the word "adore." The French-like English pronunciation achieved with the lang tag uses the corresponding /r/ sound instead.

Supported locales for the xml:lang attribute

The following locales are supported:

  • de-DE
  • en-AU
  • en-CA
  • en-GB
  • en-IN
  • en-US
  • es-ES
  • es-MX
  • es-US
  • fr-CA
  • fr-FR
  • hi-IN
  • it-IT
  • ja-JP
  • pt-BR

p

Represents a paragraph. This tag provides extra-strong breaks before and after the tag. This is equivalent to specifying a pause with <break strength="x-strong"/>.

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<speak>                                         
    <p>This is the first paragraph. There should be a pause after this text is spoken.</p>       
    <p>This is the second paragraph.</p>
</speak>                                        

phoneme

Provides a phonemic/phonetic pronunciation for the contained text. For example, people may pronounce words like "pecan" differently.

Attribute Possible Values

alphabet

Set to the phonetic alphabet to use:

  • ipa: The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).
  • x-sampa: The Extended Speech Assessment Methods Phonetic Alphabet (X-SAMPA).

ph

The phonetic pronunciation to speak.

See below for a list of supported symbols in each of the supported skill languages.

When using this tag, Alexa uses the pronunciation provided in the ph attribute rather than the text contained within the tag. However, you should still provide human-readable text within the tags. In the following example, the word "pecan" shown within the tags is never spoken. Instead, Alexa speaks the text provided in the ph attribute:

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<speak>
    You say, <phoneme alphabet="ipa" ph="pɪˈkɑːn">pecan</phoneme>.
    I say, <phoneme alphabet="ipa" ph="ˈpi.kæn">pecan</phoneme>.
</speak>

Additional examples of writing words with a phonetic alphabet:

Word IPA X-SAMPA
bottle ˈbɑ.təl "bA.t@l
frozen ˈfɹoʊ.zən "fr\oU.z@n
blossom ˈblɑ.səm "blA.s@m

Supported symbols

The following tables list the supported symbols for use with the phoneme tag. The symbols are specific to the skill's language.

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of Arabic (SA). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for Arabic (SA) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

X-SAMPA IPA Description Example Pronunciation

?

ʔ

glottal stop

أَنَا

/ " ʔ a n a: /

b

b

voiced bilabial plosive

بَلَد

/ " b a l a d /

t

t

voiceless alveolar plosive

تَمَر

/ " t a m a r /

T

θ

voiceless interdental fricative

ثَلَاثَة

/ T a " l a: T a /

dZ

ʤ

voiced postalveolar affricate

جَمِيل

/ dZ a " m i: l /

X\

ħ

voiceless pharyngeal fricative

حَيَوَان

/ X\ a j a " w a: n /

x

x

voiceless velar fricative

خَرُوف

/ x a " r u: f /

d

d

voiced alveolar plosive

دَرْدَار

/ d a r " d a: r /

D

ð

voiced interdental fricative

ذَلِك

/ " D a: l i k a /

r

r

alveolar trill

رَمْل

/ " r a m l /

z

z

voiced alveolar fricative

زُهُور

/ z u " h u: r /

s

s

voiceless alveolar fricative

سَمْسَم

/ " s a m s a m /

S

ʃ

voiceless postalveolar fricative

شَمْس

/ " S a m s /

s_?\

pharyngealised voiceless alveolar fricative

صَاحِب

/ " s_?\ A_?: X\ i b /

d_?\

pharyngealised voiced alveolar plosive

ضَوْء

/ " d_?\ a w ? /

t_?\

pharyngealised voiceless alveolar plosive

طَالِب

/ " t_?\ A_?: l i b /

D_?\

ðˤ

pharyngealised voiced interdental fricative

ظَلَام

/ " D_?\ A_?\ l a: m /

?\

ʕ

voiced pharyngeal fricative

عُمْر

/ " ?\ u m r /

G

ɣ

voiced velar fricative

غَرْب

/ " G a r b /

f

f

voiceless labiodental fricative

فَصْل

/ " f A_?\ s_?\ l /

q

q

voiceless uvular plosive

قَصْر

/ " q A_?\ s_?\ r /

k

k

voiceless velar plosive

كَامِل

/ " k a: m i l /

l

l

voiced alveolar lateral approximant

لَيْل

/ " l a j l /

l_G

pharyngealised voiced alveolar lateral approximant

والله

/ w A_?\ " l_G l_G A_?: h /

m

m

bilabial nasal stop

مَصْر

/ " m A_?\ s_?\ r /

n

n

alveolar nasal stop

نُور

/ " n u: r /

h

ɦ

voiced glottal fricative

هِلَال

/ h i " l a: l /

w

w

voiced labiovelar approximant

وَلَد

/ " w a l a d /

j

j

voiced palatal approximant

يُسْر

/ " j u s r /

g

g

voiced velar plosive

إِنْجِلِتْرَا

/ ? i N " g l i t r a: /

v

v

voiced labiodental fricative

فِيتَامِين

/ v i: t A " m i: n /

p

p

voiceless bilabial plosive

أُوبِرَا

/ " ? O p e r a: /

N

ŋ

velar nasal stop

ْهُونْغْ كُونْغ

/ h O N " k O N g /

Z

ʒ

voiced postalveolar fricative

جاكيت

/ Z a " k e: t /

a

æ

mid-open front unrounded short vowel

لَوْن

/ " l a w n /

A_?\

ɑˤ

pharyngealised open back unrounded short vowel

صَلْب

/ " s_?\ A_?\ l b /

a:

æː

mid-open front unrounded long vowel

بَاب

/ " b a: b /

A_?:

ɑˤː

pharyngealised open back unrounded long vowel

نَاضِج

/ " n A_?: d_?\ i_?\ dZ /

u

u

close back rounded short vowel

شُرْب

/ " S u r b /

u_?\

pharyngealised close back rounded short vowel

عُصْفُور

/ ?\ u_?\ s_?\ " f u: r /

u:

close back rounded long vowel

تُوت

/ " t u: t /

u_?:

uˤː

pharyngealised close back rounded long vowel

صُور

/ " s_?\ u_?: r /

i

i

close front unrounded short vowel

بِنْت

/ " b i n t /

i_?\

pharyngealised close front unrounded short vowel

طِفْل

/ " t_?\ i_?\ f l /

i:

close front unrounded long vowel

سَبِيل

/ s a " b i: l /

i_?:

iˤː

pharyngealised close front unrounded long vowel

رَطِيب

/ r A_?\ " t_?\ i_?: b /

A

a

open central unrounded short vowel

wifi

/ " w A j f A j /

O

ɔ

open-mid back rounded short vowel

دُولَار

/ d O " l A r /

O:

ɔː

open-mid back rounded long vowel

تِلْفِزِيُون

/ t i l f i z " j O: n /

e

e

mid front unrounded short vowel

إِنْتَرْنِت

/ ? e n t a r " n a: t /

e:

mid front unrounded long vowel

سِكْرِتِير

/ s i k r i " t e: r /

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of English (AU). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for English (AU) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bed
d d voiced alveolar plosive dig
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate jump
ð D voiced dental fricative then
f f voiceless labiodental fricative five
g g voiced velar plosive game
h h voiceless glottal fricative house
j j palatal approximant yes
k k voiceless velar plosive cat
l l alveolar lateral approximant lay
m m bilabial nasal mouse
n n alveolar nasal nap
ŋ N velar nasal thing
p p voiceless bilabial plosive speak
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant red
s s voiceless alveolar fricative seem
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative ship
t t voiceless alveolar plosive trap
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate chart
θ T voiceless dental fricative thin
v v voiced labiodental fricative vest
w w labial-velar approximant west
z z voiced alveolar fricative zero
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative vision
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ə @ mid central vowel arena
æ { near-open front unrounded vowel trap
aI diphthong price
aU diphthong mouth
ɑ A long open back unrounded vowel father
eI diphthong face
ɜ 3 open-mid central unrounded vowel nurse
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel dress
i i long close front unrounded vowel fleece
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel kit
əʊ @U diphthong goat
ɔ O long open-mid back rounded vowel thought
ɔɪ OI diphthong choice
u u long close back rounded vowel goose
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel foot
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel strut
ɒ Q open back rounded vowel bother
ɛə E@ diphthong bear
ɪə I@ diphthong beer
ʊə U@ diphthong tour
Additional Symbols
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress Alabama
ˌ % secondary stress Alabama
. . syllable boundary A.la.ba.ma

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of English (Canada). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for English (Canada) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bed
d d voiced alveolar plosive dig
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate jump
ð D voiced dental fricative then
f f voiceless labiodental fricative five
g g voiced velar plosive game
h h voiceless glottal fricative house
j j palatal approximant yes
k k voiceless velar plosive cat
l l alveolar lateral approximant lay
m m bilabial nasal mouse
n n alveolar nasal nap
ŋ N velar nasal thing
p p voiceless bilabial plosive speak
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant red
s s voiceless alveolar fricative seem
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative ship
t t voiceless alveolar plosive trap
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate chart
θ T voiceless dental fricative thin
v v voiced labiodental fricative vest
w w labial-velar approximant west
z z voiced alveolar fricative zero
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative vision
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ə @ mid central vowel arena
ɚ @` mid central r-colored vowel reader
æ { near-open front unrounded vowel trap
aI diphthong price
aU diphthong mouth
ɑ A long open back unrounded vowel father
eI diphthong face
ɝ 3` open-mid central unrounded r-colored vowel nurse
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel dress
i i long close front unrounded vowel fleece
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel kit
oU diphthong goat
ɔ O long open-mid back rounded vowel thought
ɔɪ OI diphthong choice
u u long close back rounded vowel goose
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel foot
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel strut
Additional Symbols
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress Alabama
ˌ % secondary stress Alabama
. . syllable boundary A.la.ba.ma

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of English (India). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for English (India) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bed
d d voiced alveolar plosive dig
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate jump
ð D voiced dental fricative then
f f voiceless labiodental fricative five
g g voiced velar plosive game
h h voiceless glottal fricative house
j j palatal approximant yes
k k voiceless velar plosive cat
l l alveolar lateral approximant lay
m m bilabial nasal mouse
n n alveolar nasal nap
ŋ N velar nasal thing
p p voiceless bilabial plosive speak
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant red
s s voiceless alveolar fricative seem
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative ship
t t voiceless alveolar plosive trap
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate chart
θ T voiceless dental fricative thin
v v voiced labiodental fricative vest
w w labial-velar approximant west
z z voiced alveolar fricative zero
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative vision
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ə @ mid central vowel arena
æ { near-open front unrounded vowel trap
aI diphthong price
aU diphthong mouth
ɑ A long open back unrounded vowel father
eI diphthong face
ɜ 3 open-mid central unrounded vowel nurse
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel dress
i i long close front unrounded vowel fleece
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel kit
əʊ @U diphthong goat
ɔ O long open-mid back rounded vowel thought
ɔɪ OI diphthong choice
u u long close back rounded vowel goose
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel foot
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel strut
ɒ Q open back rounded vowel bother
ɛə E@ diphthong bear
ɪə I@ diphthong beer
ʊə U@ diphthong tour
Additional Symbols
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress Alabama
ˌ % secondary stress Alabama
. . syllable boundary A.la.ba.ma
Hindi Consonants
IPA XSAMPA Description Examples
p_h voiceless aspirated bilabial plosive फूल (phool)
b_h voiced aspirated bilabial plosive भारी (bhaari)
t_d voiceless dental plosive तापमान (taapmaan)
t̪ʰ t_d_h voiceless aspirated dental plosive थोड़ा (thoda)
d_d voiced dental plosive दिल्ली (dilli)
d̪ʱ d_d_h voiced aspirated dental plosive धोबी (dhobi)
ʈ t` voiceless retroflex plosive टोरा (katora)
ʈʰ t`_h voiceless aspirated retroflex plosive ठंड (thand)
ɖ d` voiced retroflex plosive र (darr)
ɖʱ d`_h voiced aspirated retroflex plosive ढाल (dhal)
tʃʰ tS_h voiceless aspirated palatal affricate छाल (chaal)
dʒʱ dZ_h voiced aspirated palatal affricate झाल (jhaal)
k_h voiceless aspirated velar plosive खान (khan)
ɡʱ g_h voiced aspirated velar plosive घान (ghaan)
ɳ n` retroflex nasal क्ष (kshan)
ɾ 4 alveolar flap राम (ram)
ɽ r` plain retroflex flap ड़ा (bada)
ɽʱ r`_h voiced aspirated retroflex flap ढ़ी (barhi)
ʋ v\ bilabial approximant सूल (wasool)
Hindi Vowels
IPA XSAMPA Description Examples
ə @_o mid central vowel च्छा (achhaa)
ə̃ @~ nasalised mid central vowel हँसना (hansnaa)
a A_o open front unrounded vowel ग (aag)
A~ nasalised open front unrounded vowel घड़ियाँ (ghariyaan)
ɪ I_o near-close near-front unrounded vowel क्कीस (ikkees)
ɪ̃ I~ nasalised near-close near front unrounded vowel सिंचाई (sinchai)
i i_o close front unrounded vowel बिल्ली (billee)
i~ nasalised close front unrounded vowel हीं (nahin)
ʊ U_o near-close near-back rounded vowel ल्लू (ullu)
ʊ̃ U~ nasalised near-close near-back rounded vowel मुँह (munh)
u u_o close back rounded vowel फूल (phool)
u~ nasalised close back rounded vowel ऊँट (oont)
ɔ O_o open-mid back rounded vowel कौन (kaun)
ɔ̃ O~ nasalised open-mid back rounded vowel भौं  (bhaun)
o o close-mid back rounded vowel सोना (sona)
o~ nasalised close-mid back rounded vowel क्यों (kyon)
ɛ E_o open-mid front unrounded vowel पैसा  (paisa)
ɛ̃ E~ nasalised open-mid front unrounded vowel मैं (main)
e e close-mid front unrounded vowel क (ek)
e~ nasalised close-mid front unrounded vowel किताबें  (kitabein)

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of English (UK). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for English (UK) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bed
d d voiced alveolar plosive dig
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate jump
ð D voiced dental fricative then
f f voiceless labiodental fricative five
g g voiced velar plosive game
h h voiceless glottal fricative house
j j palatal approximant yes
k k voiceless velar plosive cat
l l alveolar lateral approximant lay
m m bilabial nasal mouse
n n alveolar nasal nap
ŋ N velar nasal thing
p p voiceless bilabial plosive speak
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant red
s s voiceless alveolar fricative seem
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative ship
t t voiceless alveolar plosive trap
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate chart
θ T voiceless dental fricative thin
v v voiced labiodental fricative vest
w w labial-velar approximant west
z z voiced alveolar fricative zero
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative vision
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ə @ mid central vowel arena
æ { near-open front unrounded vowel trap
aI diphthong price
aU diphthong mouth
ɑ A long open back unrounded vowel father
eI diphthong face
ɜ 3 open-mid central unrounded vowel nurse
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel dress
i i long close front unrounded vowel fleece
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel kit
əʊ @U diphthong goat
ɔ O long open-mid back rounded vowel thought
ɔɪ OI diphthong choice
u u long close back rounded vowel goose
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel foot
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel strut
ɒ Q open back rounded vowel bother
ɛə E@ diphthong bear
ɪə I@ diphthong beer
ʊə U@ diphthong tour
Additional Symbols
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress Alabama
ˌ % secondary stress Alabama
. . syllable boundary A.la.ba.ma

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of English (US). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for English (US) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bed
d d voiced alveolar plosive dig
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate jump
ð D voiced dental fricative then
f f voiceless labiodental fricative five
g g voiced velar plosive game
h h voiceless glottal fricative house
j j palatal approximant yes
k k voiceless velar plosive cat
l l alveolar lateral approximant lay
m m bilabial nasal mouse
n n alveolar nasal nap
ŋ N velar nasal thing
p p voiceless bilabial plosive speak
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant red
s s voiceless alveolar fricative seem
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative ship
t t voiceless alveolar plosive trap
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate chart
θ T voiceless dental fricative thin
v v voiced labiodental fricative vest
w w labial-velar approximant west
z z voiced alveolar fricative zero
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative vision
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ə @ mid central vowel arena
ɚ @` mid central r-colored vowel reader
æ { near-open front unrounded vowel trap
aI diphthong price
aU diphthong mouth
ɑ A long open back unrounded vowel father
eI diphthong face
ɝ 3` open-mid central unrounded r-colored vowel nurse
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel dress
i i long close front unrounded vowel fleece
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel kit
oU diphthong goat
ɔ O long open-mid back rounded vowel thought
ɔɪ OI diphthong choice
u u long close back rounded vowel goose
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel foot
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel strut
Additional Symbols
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress Alabama
ˌ % secondary stress Alabama
. . syllable boundary A.la.ba.ma

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of French (CA). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for French (CA) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bon
d d voice alveolar plosive deux
f f voiceless labiodental fricative faire
g ɡ voiced velar plosive garçon
ɥ H labial-palatal approximant huit
j j palatal approximant travail
k k voiceless velar plosive corps
l l alveolar lateral approximant laisser
m m bilabial nasal même
n n alveolar nasal nous
ɲ J palatal nasal gagner
ŋ N velar nasal camping
p p voiceless bilabial plosive père
ʁ R voiced uvular fricative regarder
s s voiceless alveolar fricative sans
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative chance
t t voiceless alveolar plosive tout
tS voiceless postalveolar affricate ciao
dZ voiced postalveolar affricate Djakarta
v v voiced labiodental fricative vous
w w labial-velar approximant oui
z z voiced alveolar fricative zéro
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative jamais
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
i i close front unrounded vowel si
y y close front rounded vowel sûr
ɪ I near-close front unrounded vowel pipe
ʏ Y near-close front rounded vowel lutte
e e close-mid front unrounded vowel clé
ø 2 close-mid front rounded vowel ceux
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel mettre
ɛː E: long open-mid front unrounded vowel mtre
œ 9 open-mid front rounded vowel sœur
a a open front unrounded vowel patte
ə @ mid central vowel le
u u close back rounded vowel roue
ʊ U near-close back rounded vowel coupe
o o close-mid back rounded vowel bureau
ɔ O open-mid back rounded vowel minimum
ɑ A open back unrounded vowel châle
Nasal Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ɑ̃ A~ nasalized open back unrounded vowel champ
ɛ̃ E~ nasalized open-mid front unrounded vowel pain
œ̃ 9~ nasalized open-mid front rounded vowel parfum
ɔ̃ O~ nasalized open-mid back rounded vowel nom
Foreign Phonemes
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ɚ @` mid central r-colored vowel reader
æ { open-mid central unrounded vowel trap
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel bus
m= syllabic bilabial nasal rhythm
n= syllabic alveolar nasal griffon
p_h aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive power
t_h aspirated voiceless alveolar plosive torn
k_h aspirated voiceless velar plosive cage
θ T voiceless dental fricative cloth
ð D voiced dental fricative this
h h voiceless glottal fricative hello
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant rice
ɫ l_e alveolar lateral approximant feel

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of French (FR). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for French (FR) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bon
d d voice alveolar plosive deux
f f voiceless labiodental fricative faire
g ɡ voiced velar plosive garçon
ɥ H labial-palatal approximant huit
j j palatal approximant travail
k k voiceless velar plosive corps
l l alveolar lateral approximant laisser
m m bilabial nasal même
n n alveolar nasal nous
ɲ J palatal nasal gagner
ŋ N velar nasal camping
p p voiceless bilabial plosive père
ʁ R voiced uvular fricative regarder
s s voiceless alveolar fricative sans
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative chance
t t voiceless alveolar plosive tout
tS voiceless postalveolar affricate ciao
dZ voiced postalveolar affricate Djakarta
v v voiced labiodental fricative vous
w w labial-velar approximant oui
z z voiced alveolar fricative zéro
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative jamais
Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
a a open front unrounded vowel patte
e e close-mid front unrounded vowel clé
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel faite
ə @ mid central vowel le
i i close front unrounded vowel si
œ 9 open-mid front rounded vowel sœur
ø 2 close-mid front rounded vowel ceux
o o close-mid back rounded vowel bureau
ɔ O open-mid back rounded vowel minimum
u u close back rounded vowel roue
y y close front rounded vowel sûr
Nasal Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ɑ̃ A~ nasalized open back unrounded vowel champ
ɛ̃ E~ nasalized open-mid front unrounded vowel pain
œ̃ 9~ nasalized open-mid front rounded vowel parfum
ɔ̃ O~ nasalized open-mid back rounded vowel nom
Foreign Phonemes
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ð D voiced dental fricative this
h h voiceless glottal fricative hello
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant rice
θ T voiceless dental fricative cloth

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of German. Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for German skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Consonants
IPA X-Sampa Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive Bier
d d voiced alveolar plosive Dach
ç C voiceless palatal fricative ich
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate Dschungel
f f voiceless labiodental fricative Vogel
g g voiced velar plosive Gabel
h h voiceless glottal fricative Haus
j j palatal approximant jemand
k k voiceless velar plosive Kleid
l l alveolar lateral approximant Loch
m m bilabial nasal Milch
n n alveolar nasal Natur
ŋ N velar nasal klingen
p p voiceless bilabial plosive Park
p͡f pf voiceless labiodental affricate Apfel
ʀ R uvular trill Regen
s s voiceless alveolar fricative Messer
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative Fischer
t t voiceless alveolar plosive Topf
t͡s ts voiceless alveolar affricate Zahl
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate deutsch
v v voiced labiodental fricative Wasser
x x voiceless velar fricative kochen
z z voiced alveolar fricative See
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative Orange
Vowels
IPA X-Sampa Description Examples
a a open front unrounded vowel Salz
a: long open front unrounded vowel Sahne
aU diphthong Augen
ə @ mid central vowel Rede
ɐ 6 near-open central vowel besser
aI diphthong nein
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel Kellner
e: long close-mid front unrounded vowel Rede
øː 2: long close-mid front rounded vowel böse
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel bitte
i: long close front unrounded vowel Lied
ɔ O open-mid back rounded vowel Koffer
œ 9 open-mid front rounded vowel können
o: long close-mid back rounded vowel Kohl
ɔʏ OY diphthong neu
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel Wunder
ʏ Y near-close near-front rounded vowel Küche
u: long close back rounded vowel Bruder
y: long close front rounded vowel kühl
Centralised Diphthongs
IPA X-Sampa Examples
aɐ̯ a6_^ hart
aːɐ̯ a:6_^ Haar
ɛɐ̯ E6_^ Berg
eːɐ̯ e:6_^ schwer
øːɐ̯ 2:6_^ Nadelöhr
ɪɐ̯ I6_^ Wirtschaft
iːɐ̯ i:6_^ Tier
ɔɐ̯ O6_^ dort
œɐ̯ 96_^ Wörter
oːɐ̯ o:6_^ Ohr
ʊɐ̯ U6_^ Gurke
ʏɐ̯ Y6_^ Türkei
uːɐ̯ u:6_^ Kur
yːɐ̯ y:6_^ Tür
English Phonemes
IPA X-Sampa Description Examples
ð D voiced dental fricative brother
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant ripe
θ T voiceless dental fricative north
w w labial-velar approximant well
ɔː O: long open-mid back rounded vowel callcenter
eI diphthong rating
oU diphthong windows
French Phonemes
IPA X-Sampa Description Examples
ã: a~: nasalized long open front unrounded vowel Croissant
ɛ̃ː E~: nasalized long open-mid front unrounded vowel Terrain
õ: o~: nasalized long close-mid back rounded vowel Annonce
Additional Symbols
IPA X-Sampa Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress genau
. . syllable boundary ver.stan.den

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of Hindi (IN). Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for Hindi (IN) skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

Hindi Consonants
IPA XSAMPA Description Examples
p p voiceless bilabial plosive रिंदा
p_h voiceless aspirated bilabial plosive फूल (phool)
b b voiced bilabial plosive बिस्तर
b_h voiced aspirated bilabial plosive भारी (bhaari)
t_d voiceless dental plosive तापमान (taapmaan)
t̪ʰ t_d_h voiceless aspirated dental plosive थोड़ा (thoda)
d_d voiced dental plosive दिल्ली (dilli)
d̪ʱ d_d_h voiced aspirated dental plosive धोबी (dhobi)
ʈ t` voiceless retroflex plosive टोरा (katora)
ʈʰ t`_h voiceless aspirated retroflex plosive ठंड (thand)
ɖ d` voiced retroflex plosive र (darr)
ɖʱ d`_h voiced aspirated retroflex plosive ढाल (dhal)
tS voiceless postalveolar affricate चा
tʃʰ tS_h voiceless aspirated palatal affricate छाल (chaal)
dZ voiced postalveolar affricate जंगल
dʒʱ dZ_h voiced aspirated palatal affricate झाल (jhaal)
k k voiceless velar plosive कमाल
k_h voiceless aspirated velar plosive खान (khan)
g g voiced velar plosive गाँ
ɡʱ g_h voiced aspirated velar plosive घान (ghaan)
l l alveolar lateral approximant म्हा
m m bilabial nasal मंत्र
n n alveolar nasal ना
ŋ N velar nasal मंगल
ɳ n` retroflex nasal क्ष (kshan)
s s voiceless alveolar fricative सा
z z voiced alveolar fricative ज़रूर
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative र्मिंदा
f f voiceless labiodental fricative फ़ारसी
ɾ 4 alveolar flap राम (ram)
ɽ r` plain retroflex flap ड़ा (bada)
ɽʱ r`_h voiced aspirated retroflex flap ढ़ी (barhi)
h h voiceless glottal fricative हा
j j palatal approximant या
ʋ v\ bilabial approximant सूल (wasool)
Hindi Vowels
IPA XSAMPA Description Examples
ə @ mid central vowel च्छा (achhaa)
ə̃ @~ nasalised mid central vowel हँसना (hansnaa)
a A open front unrounded vowel ग (aag)
A~ nasalised open front unrounded vowel घड़ियाँ (ghariyaan)
ɪ I near-close near-front unrounded vowel क्कीस (ikkees)
ɪ̃ I~ nasalised near-close near front unrounded vowel सिंचाई (sinchai)
i i close front unrounded vowel बिल्ली (billee)
i~ nasalised close front unrounded vowel हीं (nahin)
ʊ U near-close near-back rounded vowel ल्लू (ullu)
ʊ̃ U~ nasalised near-close near-back rounded vowel मुँह (munh)
u u close back rounded vowel फूल (phool)
u~ nasalised close back rounded vowel ऊँट (oont)
ɔ O open-mid back rounded vowel कौन (kaun)
ɔ̃ O~ nasalised open-mid back rounded vowel भौं  (bhaun)
o o close-mid back rounded vowel सोना (sona)
o~ nasalised close-mid back rounded vowel क्यों (kyon)
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel पैसा  (paisa)
ɛ̃ E~ nasalised open-mid front unrounded vowel मैं (main)
e e close-mid front unrounded vowel क (ek)
e~ nasalised close-mid front unrounded vowel किताबें  (kitabein)
English Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
b b voiced bilabial plosive bed
d d voiced alveolar plosive dig
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate jump
ð D voiced dental fricative then
f f voiceless labiodental fricative five
g g voiced velar plosive game
h h voiceless glottal fricative house
j j palatal approximant yes
k k voiceless velar plosive cat
l l alveolar lateral approximant lay
m m bilabial nasal mouse
n n alveolar nasal nap
ŋ N velar nasal thing
p p voiceless bilabial plosive speak
ɹ r\ alveolar approximant red
s s voiceless alveolar fricative seem
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative ship
t t voiceless alveolar plosive trap
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate chart
θ T voiceless dental fricative thin
v v voiced labiodental fricative vest
w w labial-velar approximant west
z z voiced alveolar fricative zero
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative vision
English Vowels
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ə @_o mid central vowel arena
æ { near-open front unrounded vowel trap
aI diphthong price
aU diphthong mouth
ɑ A_o long open back unrounded vowel father
eI diphthong face
ɜ 3 open-mid central unrounded vowel nurse
ɛ E_o open-mid front unrounded vowel dress
i i_o long close front unrounded vowel fleece
ɪ I_o near-close near-front unrounded vowel kit
əʊ @U diphthong goat
ɔ O_o long open-mid back rounded vowel thought
ɔɪ OI diphthong choice
u u_o long close back rounded vowel goose
ʊ U_o near-close near-back rounded vowel foot
ʌ V open-mid back unrounded vowel strut
ɒ Q open back rounded vowel bother
ɛə E@ diphthong bear
ɪə I@ diphthong beer
ʊə U@ diphthong tour
Additional Symbols
IPA X-SAMPA Description Examples
ˈ " primary stress Alabama
ˌ % secondary stress Alabama
. . syllable boundary A.la.ba.ma

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of Italian. Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for Italian skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

X-SAMPA IPA Examples
b b problema
tS pancia
d d diretto
dz dz benzina
f f difesa
g g erogazione
j j votazione
dZ legislatura
k k cascata
l l polvere
L ʎ dettaglio
m m settimo
n n comune
N ŋ anche
J ɲ dignità
p p pasta
r r promozione
s s vestito
S ʃ disciplina
t t articolo
ts ts esistenza
v v tuttavia
w w delinquenza
z z musicista
Z ʒ peugeot
i i musica
e e vestito
E ɛ veste
a a mano
u u uva
o o polacco
O ɔ povero
 . syllable boundary rapido (" r a . p i . d o)
" primary stress certo (" c ɛ r . t o)
 % secondary stress alfabeto (% a l . f a . " b e . t o)

These symbols provide full coverage for the sounds of Japanese. Other languages require the use of symbols not included in this list, which are not supported. Using symbols not included in this list for Japanese skills is discouraged, as it may result in suboptimal speech synthesis.

子音
IPAX-SAMPA説明
bb有声両唇破裂音ボート(booto)
dd有声歯茎破裂音電車(densha)
gg有声軟口蓋破裂音学校(gakkoo)
hh無声声門摩擦音花火(hanabi)
jj硬口蓋接近音夢(yume)
kk無声軟口蓋破裂音会社(kaisha)
mm両唇鼻音メガネ(megane)
nn歯茎鼻音猫(neko)
pp無声両唇破裂音ピアノ(piano)
ss無声歯茎摩擦音寿司(sushi)
tt無声歯茎破裂音テレビ(terebi)
ww両唇軟口蓋接近音話題(wadai)
zz有声歯茎摩擦音雑貨(zakka)
ɸp\無声両唇摩擦音冬(fuyu)
çC無声硬口蓋摩擦音ヒント(hinto)
ɾ4歯茎はじき音冷蔵庫(reezooko)
t͡sts無声歯茎破擦音月(tsuki)
cc無声硬口蓋破裂音天気(tenki)
ɟj\有声硬口蓋破裂音将棋(shoogi)
ɕs\無声歯茎硬口蓋摩擦音紹介(shookai)
d͡ʑz\有声歯茎硬口蓋破擦音ジュース(juusu)
ɲJ硬口蓋鼻音日本(nihon)
ɺl歯茎側面はじき音リンゴ (ringo)
t͡ɕts\無声歯茎硬口蓋破擦音宇宙(uchuu)
QQQ促音ロボット(robotto)
ɴNN口蓋垂鼻音パソコン(pasokon
母音
IPAX-SAMPA説明
äa非円唇中舌広母音窓(mado)
ii非円唇前舌狭母音イス(isu)
ɯM非円唇後舌狭母音クジラ(kujira)
ee非円唇前舌中央母音世界(sekai)
oo円唇後舌中央母音お茶(ocha)
ä:a:非円唇中舌広長母音ギター(gitaa
i:i:非円唇前舌狭長母音チーム(chiimu)
ɯ:M:非円唇後舌狭長母音算数(sansuu
e:e:非円唇前舌中央長母音ケータイ(keetai)
o:o:円唇後舌中央長母音飛行機(hikooki)
Consonants
IPA X-SAMPA Description Example
ɾ 4 alveolar flap pira
b b voiced bilabial plosive bato
d d voiced alveolar plosive dato
d͡ʒ dZ voiced postalveolar affricate idade
f f voiceless labiodental fricative facto
g g voiced velar plosive gato
j j palatal approximant paraguay
k k voiceless velar plosive cacto
l l alveolar lateral approximant galo
ʎ L palatal lateral approximant galho
m m bilabial nasal mato
n n alveolar nasal nato
ɲ J palatal nasal pinha
p p voiceless bilabial plosive pato
s s voiceless alveolar fricative saca
ʃ S voiceless postalveolar fricative chato
t t voiceless alveolar plosive tacto
t͡ʃ tS voiceless postalveolar affricate noite
v v voiced labiodental fricative vaca
w w labial-velar approximant mau
χ X voiceless uvular fricative carro
z z voiced alveolar fricative zaca
ʒ Z voiced postalveolar fricative jacto
Vowels
a a open front unrounded vowel parto
a~ nasal open front unrounded vowel pensamos
e e close-mid front unrounded vowel pega
e~ nasal close-mid front unrounded vowel movem
ɛ E open-mid front unrounded vowel café
i i close front unrounded vowel lingueta
i~ nasal close front unrounded vowel cinto
o o close-mid back rounded vowel poder
o~ nasal close-mid back rounded vowel compra
ɔ O open-mid back rounded vowel cotó
u u close back rounded vowel fui
u~ nasal close back rounded vowel sunto

prosody

Modifies the volume, pitch, and rate of the tagged speech.

Attribute Possible Values

rate

Modify the rate of the speech:

  • x-slow, slow, medium, fast, x-fast: Set the rate to a predefined value.
  • n%: specify a percentage to increase or decrease the speed of the speech:
    • 100% indicates no change from the normal rate.
    • Percentages greater than 100% increase the rate.
    • Percentages below 100% decrease the rate.
    • The minimum value you can provide is 20%.

pitch

Raise or lower the tone (pitch) of the speech:

  • x-low, low, medium, high, x-high: Set the pitch to a predefined value.
  • +n%: Increase the pitch by the specified percentage. For example: +10%, +5%. The maximum value allowed is +50%. A value higher than +50% is rendered as +50%.
  • -n%: Decrease the pitch by the specified percentage. For example: -10%, -20%. The smallest value allowed is -33.3%. A value lower than -33.3% is rendered as -33.3%.

volume

Change the volume for the speech:

  • silent, x-soft, soft, medium, loud, x-loud: Set volume to a predefined value for current voice.
  • +ndB: Increase volume relative to the current volume level. For example, +0dB means no change of volume. +6dB is approximately twice the current amplitude. The maximum positive value is about +4.08dB.
  • -ndB: Decrease the volume relative to the current volume level. For example, -6dB means approximately half the current amplitude.

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<speak>
    Normal volume for the first sentence.
    <prosody volume="x-loud">Louder volume for the second sentence</prosody>.
    When I wake up, <prosody rate="x-slow">I speak quite slowly</prosody>.
    I can speak with my normal pitch,
    <prosody pitch="x-high"> but also with a much higher pitch </prosody>,
    and also <prosody pitch="low">with a lower pitch</prosody>.
</speak>

You can combine prosody with all other tags when you set the rate and/or volume attributes. When you use the pitch attribute, you cannot combine prosody with the tags shown in incompatible tags.

s

Represents a sentence. This tag provides strong breaks before and after the tag.

This is equivalent to:

  • Ending a sentence with a period (.).
  • Specifying a pause with <break strength="strong"/>.

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<speak>
    <s>This is a sentence</s>
    <s>There should be a short pause before this second sentence</s>
    This sentence ends with a period and should have the same pause.
</speak>

say-as

Describes how the text should be interpreted. This lets you provide additional context to the text and eliminate any ambiguity on how Alexa should render the text. Indicate how Alexa should interpret the text with the interpret-as attribute.

Attribute Possible Values

interpret-as

  • characters, spell-out: Spell out each letter.
  • cardinal, number: Interpret the value as a cardinal number.
  • ordinal: Interpret the value as an ordinal number.
  • digits: Spell each digit separately .
  • fraction: Interpret the value as a fraction. This works for both common fractions (such as 3/20) and mixed fractions (such as 1+1/2).
  • unit: Interpret a value as a measurement. The value should be either a number or fraction followed by a unit (with no space in between) or just a unit.
  • date: Interpret the value as a date. Specify the format with the format attribute.
  • time: Interpret a value such as 1'21" as duration in minutes and seconds.
  • telephone: Interpret a value as a 7-digit or 10-digit telephone number. This can also handle extensions (for example, 2025551212x345).
  • address: Interpret a value as part of street address.
  • interjection: Interpret the value as an interjection. Alexa speaks the text in a more expressive voice. For optimal results, only use the supported interjections and surround each speechcon with a pause. For example: <say-as interpret-as="interjection">Wow.</say-as>. Speechcons are supported for the languages listed below.
  • expletive: "Bleep" out the content inside the tag.

format

Only used when interpret-as is set to date. Set to one of the following to indicate format of the date:

  • mdy
  • dmy
  • ymd
  • md
  • dm
  • ym
  • my
  • d
  • m
  • y

Alternatively, if you provide the date in YYYYMMDD format, the format attribute is ignored. You can include question marks (?) for portions of the date to leave out. For instance, Alexa would speak <say-as interpret-as="date">????0922</say-as> as "September 22nd".

Note that the Alexa service attempts to interpret the provided text correctly based on the text's formatting even without this tag. For example, if your output speech includes "202-555-1212", Alexa speaks each individual digit, with a brief pause for each dash. You don't need to use <say-as interpret-as="telephone"> in this case. However, if you provided the text "2025551212", but you wanted Alexa to speak it as a phone number, you would need to use <say-as interpret-as="telephone">.

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<speak>
    Here is a number spoken as a cardinal number:
    <say-as interpret-as="cardinal">12345</say-as>.
    Here is the same number with each digit spoken separately:
    <say-as interpret-as="digits">12345</say-as>.
    Here is a word spelled out: <say-as interpret-as="spell-out">hello</say-as>
</speak>

Supported speechcons

Speechcons are language specific. See the following pages for the available speechcons for each skill language:

speak

This is the root element of an SSML document. When using SSML with the Alexa Skills Kit, surround the text to be spoken with this tag.

<speak>
    This is what Alexa sounds like without any SSML.
</speak>

sub

Pronounce the specified word or phrase as a different word or phrase. Specify the pronunciation to substitute with the alias attribute.

Attribute Possible Values

alias

The word or phrase to speak in place of the tagged text.

This example replaces the abbreviated chemical elements with the full words:

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<speak>
    My favorite chemical element is <sub alias="aluminum">Al</sub>,
    but Al prefers <sub alias="magnesium">Mg</sub>.
</speak>

voice

Use the voice tag to speak the text with the specified Amazon Polly voice. Each listed voice has its own individual character. See Best Practices for Using Amazon Polly Voices for advice on how to use different voices in your skill to create a good customer experience.

You can combine voice with all other tags, except for those listed in incompatible tags.

Attribute Possible Values

name

The name of a supported Amazon Polly voice. Voice are specific to locale. To speak content in the same language as your skill, choose a voice supported for the locale of your skill. To speak content in a different language, combine the voice tag with the lang tag.

For example, in an English (US) skill, use an en-US voice for English content. For French content, you can use an fr-FR voice, but combine the voice tag with lang to speak the content properly in French.

For the list of supported voices for each locale, see Supported Amazon Polly voices.

Supported Amazon Polly voices

This table lists the Amazon Polly voices supported by Alexa. Voice names don't contain accented characters. Use a voice supported for the skill locale or use the voice with the lang tag.

To comply with Alexa skill policies, don't expose the Amazon-assigned name of a Polly voice to users.

Locale Supported voices

English, American (en-US)

Ivy, Joanna, Joey, Justin, Kendra, Kimberly, Matthew, Salli

English, Australian (en-AU)

Nicole, Russell

English, British (en-GB)

Amy, Brian, Emma

English, Indian (en-IN)

Aditi, Raveena

English, Welsh (en-GB-WLS)

Geraint

French, Canadian (fr-CA)

Chantal

French, France (fr-FR)

Celine, Lea, Mathieu

German (de-DE)

Hans, Marlene, Vicki

Hindi (hi-IN)

Aditi

Italian (it-IT)

Carla, Giorgio, Bianca

Japanese (ja-JP)

Mizuki, Takumi

Portuguese, Brazilian (pt-BR)

Vitoria, Camila, Ricardo

Spanish, American (es-US)

Penelope, Lupe, Miguel

Spanish, Castilian (es-ES)

Conchita, Enrique, Lucia

Spanish, Mexican (es-MX)

Mia

Example–Standard Alexa voice and a specified Amazon Polly voice

In this example, assume this sample is from an en-US skill, and because "Kendra" is an en-US voice, no lang tag is required. If this sample was from a skill that does not have an en-US locale, then the lang tag should be added and set to en-US.

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<speak>
    I want to tell you a secret.
    <voice name="Kendra">I am not a real human.</voice>.
    Can you believe it?
</speak>

Example–two voices used in a dialog

This example provides a dialog between an en-US voice and an en-GB voice, such as might occur if a story with two different characters were being read. The standard Alexa voice, which varies by locale, speaks the first and last sentence.

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<speak>
    Here's a surprise you did not expect.  
    <voice name="Kendra"><lang xml:lang="en-US">I want to tell you a secret.</lang></voice>
    <voice name="Brian"><lang xml:lang="en-GB">Your secret is safe with me!</lang></voice>
    <voice name="Kendra"><lang xml:lang="en-US">I am not a real human.</lang></voice>.
    Can you believe it?
</speak>

In the following example, the default Alexa voice is for an en-US skill. If the skill were for en-GB, the default Alexa voice would correspond to that.

Example–French content in an English skill

In this example, assume the locale of this skill is for an English-speaking region. Because "Celine" is an "fr-FR" voice, and you want Celine's content spoken in French, lang should be specified as "fr-FR".

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<speak>
    Welcome to Ride Hailer. <voice name="Celine"><lang xml:lang="fr-FR">Bienvenue à Ride Hailer</lang></voice>
    You can order a ride, or request a fare estimate.
    Which will it be?
</speak>

Tips for using Amazon Polly voices

Although all Amazon Polly voices use approximately the same volume, some voices may be perceived as louder or quieter than Alexa voices. Use the prosody tag to modify the volume, rate, and pitch of the voice you have chosen. Other SSML tags supported by Alexa may also be used to modify the spoken output.

Developers can enhance their skills with responses that include one or more Amazon Polly voices, as well as the default Alexa voice, and can choose specific voices for specific responses. Refer to User Experience Guidelines for the Use of Amazon Polly Voices in Your Skills for guidance on using Amazon Polly voices in your skills.

There is no charge for Alexa developers to use Amazon Polly voices.

The locale of a skill refers to a combination of region and language, and all of the Amazon Polly voices are tagged with a locale. For example, the "en-AU" locale refers to the English language in Australia, whereas "en-IN" refers to the English language in India. You select the locale of your skill when you first create it.

To achieve the best results, if the voice you select is for a different locale than that specified by your skill, use the lang tag to specify the language in which the content will be spoken. See more about the lang tag.

Be mindful of the customer experience if you combine voices from different locales in your skill responses.

Node.js sample code for voice

If building a Node.js skill, this switchVoice function can be used to wrap speech output with voice tags to get a specific voice. If you use the Alexa Skills Kit SDK for Node.js, you do not need to wrap the speech output in <speak> tags, as that is handled by the SDK.

function switchVoice(text,voice_name) {
  if (text){
    return "<voice name='" + voice_name + "'>" + text + "</voice>"
  }
}

Here is some sample speech output from a skill using multiple voices with the switchVoice function.

const speechOutput = "I am Alexa." + switchVoice("I am Matthew.","Matthew") + switchVoice("I am Kendra.","Kendra") + switchVoice("and I am Ivy.","Ivy") + "Don't we make a great team?"

If you want all of the skill responses to be in a particular voice, ensure that all speech outputs from the skill are specified as SSML and are wrapped with the appropriate voice tag.

w

Similar to say-as, this tag customizes the pronunciation of words by specifying the word's part of speech.

Attribute Possible Values

role

Set to one of the following

  • amazon:VB: Interpret the word as a verb (present simple).
  • amazon:VBD: Interpret the word as a past participle.
  • amazon:NN: Interpret the word as a noun.
  • amazon:SENSE_1: Use the non-default sense of the word. For example, the noun "bass" is pronounced differently depending on meaning. The "default" meaning is the lowest part of the musical range. The alternate sense (which is still a noun) is a freshwater fish. Specifying <speak><w role="amazon:SENSE_1">bass</w>"</speak> renders the non-default pronunciation (freshwater fish).

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<speak>
    The word <say-as interpret-as="characters">read</say-as> may be interpreted
    as either the present simple form <w role="amazon:VB">read</w>,
    or the past participle form <w role="amazon:VBD">read</w>.
</speak>

Note that these tags previously used the ivona namespace in the attribute names. The tags are backwards compatible, so existing SSML written with the ivona namespace continues to work.


Last updated: Oct 05, 2022