Add Precise Pauses to Your TTS
07-09-2025 , 27-04-2026
Three ways to add precise pauses to your TTS — a one-click pause icon, the SSML <break> tag, and global Pause Control in Settings — plus how Smart Cache makes pause edits free.
Start with three short sentences
Type your text into the editor. With default pauses, the sentences flow into each other — fine for most cases, but sometimes you want a longer breath at a key moment.
The pause icon — one click, soft break
Place the cursor at a pause point and click the pause icon in the toolbar. It drops a small marker — -. — right at the cursor. The TTS engine reads this as a brief, natural pause. Works with every voice, including ones that don't support full SSML.
The pause icon is the fastest way to add breathing room — no SSML knowledge required.
Type a <break> tag for precise control
For exact timing, type the SSML break tag yourself: <break time="1s"/> for one second, <break time="500ms"/> for half a second. Use seconds (s) or milliseconds (ms) — whichever you prefer.
Or open SSML for a visual picker
Click ① SSML in the toolbar to open the SSML panel, then ② Break to launch the visual picker. No need to remember tag syntax — pick a preset or type a value into a numeric field.
Quick presets — 200ms to 5 seconds
The Break modal opens with eight quick-pause presets: 200ms · 300ms · 500ms · 700ms · 1000ms · 1500ms · 2000ms · 5000ms. One click on any preset inserts the matching break tag at the cursor and closes the modal.
Manual entry — any value you need
Need a custom duration? Use the Manual section: enter ① a value in seconds (0–30) or milliseconds (50–1000), then ② click Insert. The tag drops in with your exact timing — for example <break time="750ms"/>.
Seconds for long beats (1s, 2s, 5s). Milliseconds for fine control (250ms, 600ms, 850ms).
Global Pause Control — for paragraphs and sentences
Open Settings below the editor. The middle column — Pause Control — has two dropdowns: ① Pause for paragraphs (default 400ms) controls the silence between text blocks separated by a blank line; ② Pause for sentences (default 300ms) controls the gap after every sentence-ending punctuation.
Range: 150ms up to 30 seconds. Use longer values for podcasts, audiobooks, or contemplative content — shorter values for fast-paced ads or news.
Convert to Speech
Click Convert to Speech. SpeechGen renders your text with all the pauses you set — toolbar marker, manual break tag, and global Pause Control settings, all combined. Listen to the result in the player below.
Smart Cache — pause edits cost zero
Now change one break duration — for example, <break time="1s"/> → <break time="3s"/> — and click Convert again. Watch the result panel: ① Smart Cache 100% appears with ② 0 Limits charged.
SpeechGen voices text sentence by sentence; every generated chunk is cached. When you change only pause durations or add/edit break tags, the actual audio chunks haven't changed — they're served from cache at zero cost. You can iterate on pacing as much as you want.
The result
Listen to the synthesised audio with all three pause methods applied:
Three sentences with pauses · Amber
When to use which method
Each pause method serves a different purpose. Use them together for natural-sounding speech.
Toolbar pause icon ( -.)
- Quickest — one click, no SSML knowledge
- Works with every voice, including those without SSML support
- Soft, natural pause — no need to think about timing
- Best for: drafts, casual speech, voices that don't accept SSML tags
Manual <break time="..."/>
- Exact timing — milliseconds or seconds
- Type once, copy-paste anywhere
- Visible in your text — easy to scan and edit later
- Best for: scripted content, audiobooks, when you know the exact beat you want
SSML Break modal
- Visual picker with quick presets and a manual input
- No need to remember tag syntax
- Helpful when experimenting with different durations
- Best for: discovering what works, trying multiple values quickly
Global Pause Control (Settings)
- Sets the default pause length for every paragraph and every sentence in your text
- One dial — affects the whole document
- Works alongside inline break tags (your manual breaks override the global setting)
- Best for: long-form content (audiobooks, podcasts) where you want consistent pacing
When to use it
Anywhere natural pacing matters more than raw text-to-speech speed:
Audiobooks & podcasts
- Chapter transitions with longer breaks (1.5–3 seconds)
- Dialogue scenes — pauses before dramatic lines
- Reflective passages — slower paragraph pauses for atmosphere
Education & training
- Comprehension pauses after key concepts (so listeners absorb)
- Quiz timing — silence after each question for thinking
- Language drills — exact-second pauses for repeat-after-me practice
Voiceovers & ads
- Beats before key calls-to-action
- Punchline timing — small breaks for comedy
- Brand reads — clean spacing around brand names
IVR & phone systems
- Pauses between menu options (so listeners can press)
- Wait beats during data entry prompts
- Confirmation pauses after spoken numbers
Note: a small admin panel may appear in some screenshots — that's an internal tool only visible to staff. You won't see it in your account.