How to write diction for: Acronyms ?
Acronyms (or individual letters) may need to be spelled phonetically to get the right sound. Some acronyms are pronounced as a word (NASA), while others aren't (WHO).
To resolve this, you are able to use the Diction option, to correct the avatar's speech:
Example | Solution |
Acronym as word: ERP/NBA is pronounced as one word instead of spelling it out. | Acronym as word: Use the Diction 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 diction function and write 'stamp' or ‘eighsap’. Use small letters. |
See the video example below👇
How to write diction for words in different 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 diction function and input ‘rahn-day-voo.’ |
See the video example below👇
Below is a table that you can use to create words from other languages with an English voice.
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 |
How to write diction for Homographs ?
In some cases, you may need to write diction 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 diction function to adjust pronunciation. In this case, lead (the metal) is mispronounce. |
See the video example below 👇
How to write diction 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 diction function and split long words into single words. In this case, ‘anti-dis-establish-men-tar-ian-ism.’ |
See the example video in German below to illustrate the use of long words👇
How to write diction for numbers and symbols ?
When necessary, you can spell out numbers and symbols using full words.
Examples
573 ➡️ five hundred seventy-three or five seven three
12:30 p.m. ➡️ 12 thirty p m or twelve thirty in the afternoon
29 Willow Street ➡️ twenty-nine Willow Street
support@companyname.com ➡️ support at company name dot com
Can I write diction for non Latin alphabet ?
The diction feature supports all alphabets. Using the alphabet of the targeted language would, however, yield the best results.
For instance, if you use a Japanese voice, you could use a Latin alphabet for the pronunciation but leveraging hiragana is better.