How do I use Pronunciation in Synthesia?

Modify the pronunciation

Highlight the word in the script box.
Click the Pronunciation icon.
Enter the phonetic spelling you want.
Preview the sentence and adjust as needed—pronounced words appear italicized.
To apply the same pronunciation to all identical words for the same speaker, click “Apply to all” at the bottom.

💡 Commas can be used after/before/in a word to slow it down or create a pause.

Acronyms

Fixing acronym pronunciation

Acronyms can be tricky—some are pronounced as full words (like NASA), while others are read letter by letter (like W-H-O). If the avatar doesn't pronounce an acronym the way you expect, you can use the pronunciation tool to spell it phonetically and ensure it sounds just right.

Example	Solution
*Acronym as word:* ERP/NBA is pronounced as one word instead of spelling it out.	*Acronym as word:* Use the pronunciation function and write 'e r p' or ‘en be ay’. Use spaces and small letters.
*Acronym as individual letters:* STAMP/ASAP is pronounced like S-T-A-M-P/A-S-A-P but you actually want it to be pronounced as one word.	*Acronym as individual letters:* Use the pronunciation function and write 'stamp' or ‘eighsap’. Use small letters.

Pronouncing words from other languages

In some case when you’re using words from different languages in your script, you may need to amend the pronunciation.

Example	Solution
Writing a script in English and using the French word ‘rendez-vous’.	Use the pronunciation function and input ‘rahn-day-voo.’

Phonetic Spelling Table for Foreign Words

Letter	Phonetic Spelling	Alternatives
A	ai	ah, ay, eigh
B	bee	be, buh
C	see	kuh, suh, cee
D	dee	de
E	ee	eh, eei
F	ef	fuh
G	jee	guh
H	eitch	huh, (silent)
I	eye	aiy, ah-ee
J	jay	jai
K	kay	kai
L	el	ell
M	em	em
N	en	nuh
O	oh	ah, oh, uh, oo
P	pee	puh
Q	cue	kwuh
R	ah-r	arr, are
S	ess	zuh
T	tee	tuh, tea
U	yoo	yew
V	vee	vea, vuh
W	double-you	double-yew, duboyoo
X	ecks	exx
Y	wah-ee	wye, wyie
Z	zee	zea, zuh

Homographs

In some cases, you may need to write pronunciation for homographs (same spelling, different pronunciation).

Example	Solution
The miners used a special tool to *lead* the way, but were unsure if it would detect lead in the sample.	Use the pronunciation function to adjust pronunciation. In this case, lead (the metal) is mispronounce.

How to write pronunciation for long words

Sometimes AI voices struggle with pronouncing very long words. Especially in other languages than English, this issue is quite common.

Example	Solution
Some voices might struggle with a long word like *‘antidisestablishmentarianism’*	Use the pronunciation function and split long words into single words. In this case, ‘anti-dis-establish-men-tar-ian-ism.’