English IPA Transcription in Text to Speech with Phoneme Tag

04-09-2023 , 05-02-2024

The phoneme element in SSML (Speech Synthesis Markup Language) offers a way to guide the pronunciation of specific words or phrases during text-to-speech synthesis. It provides users with the ability to ensure accurate and intended pronunciation, especially for words or phrases that might otherwise be mispronounced by a standard text-to-speech system.

Our speech synthesis system supports two phonetic alphabets: the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). This flexibility is essential since users may have a preference or familiarity with one over the other.

Examples

Word: "Hyperbole"

Common Mispronunciation: "Hyper-bowl". Correct Pronunciation: "High-per-buh-lee"

<phoneme alphabet="ipa" ph="haɪˈpɜːrbəli">Hyperbole</phoneme>

Word: "Champagne"

Common Mispronunciation: "Champ-aign". Correct Pronunciation: "Sham-pain"

<phoneme alphabet="ipa" ph="ʃæmˈpeɪn">Champagne</phoneme>

Word: "Quixote" (from Don Quixote)

Common Mispronunciation: "Quick-sote". Correct Pronunciation: "Kee-ho-tee"

<phoneme alphabet="ipa" ph="kiˈxote">Quixote</phoneme>

By leveraging the phoneme tag in SSML with either IPA or X-SAMPA notation, users can achieve the desired pronunciation for their text. This is especially useful for unusual or foreign words, ensuring that the spoken output matches the intended sound.

IPA Alphabet 

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a comprehensive set of symbols that represent the sounds of spoken language. Below is a simplified table of the IPA with examples for each phoneme, specifically focused on the phonemes found in English. This table doesn't cover all the symbols in the IPA but highlights the main ones relevant to English speakers.

Consonants

IPA Symbol	Short Word	Transcription	Long Word	Transcription
b	bat	bæt	bibliography	bɪbliˈɒgrəfi
k	cat	kæt	kindergarten	ˈkɪndərˌgɑrtn
ʧ	chat	ʧæt	architecture	ˈɑrkɪˌtɛkʧər
d	dig	dɪg	determination	dɪˌtɜrmɪˈneɪʃən
f	fan	fæn	fortification	ˌfɔrtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən
ʒ	genre	ʒɑnrə	measure	mɛʒər
g	go	goʊ	generalization	ˌʤɛnərəlɪˈzeɪʃən
h	hat	hæt	hypothetical	ˌhaɪpəˈθɛtɪkəl
ʤ	jet	ʤɛt	adjudication	əˌʤudɪˈkeɪʃən
l	let	lɛt	literally	ˈlɪtərəli
m	man	mæn	monumental	mɑnjuˈmɛntl
n	no	noʊ	nationality	næʃəˈnælɪti
p	pat	pæt	perspective	pərˈspɛktɪv
r	red	rɛd	representation	ˌrɛprɪzɛnˈteɪʃən
ɹ	run	ɹʌn	registration	ˌɹɛdʒɪˈstreɪʃən
s	see	si	systematically	sɪsˈtɛmətɪkli
ʃ	she	ʃi	differentiation	ˌdɪfərɛnʃiˈeɪʃən
ŋ	sing	sɪŋ	longing	ˈlɔŋɪŋ
θ	thin	θɪn	thermodynamics	ˌθɜrmoʊdaɪˈnæmɪks
ð	this	ðɪs	rhythmically	rɪðˈmɪkli
t	top	tɑp	transportation	ˌtrænspərˈteɪʃən
v	van	væn	visualization	ˌvɪʒʊəlɪˈzeɪʃən
w	wet	wɛt	worthwhile	ˈwɜrθˌwaɪl
j	yes	jɛs	yellowish	ˈjɛloʊɪʃ
z	zoo	zu	zealously	ˈzɛləsli

Vowels

IPA Symbol	Short Word	Transcription	Long Word	Transcription
i	seat	sit	immediate	ɪˈmidiət
ɪ	sit	sɪt	diminutive	dɪˈmɪnjətɪv
e	ate	eɪt	explanation	ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən
ɛ	bet	bɛt	especially	ɪˈspɛʃəli
æ	bat	bæt	characteristically	kærəkˈtəristɪkli
ɑ	father	ˈfɑðər	particle	ˈpɑrtɪkl
ɔ	caught	kɔt	authorship	ˈɔːθərʃɪp
o	boat	boʊt	proclamation	ˌproʊkləˈmeɪʃən
u	boot	but	constitutional	ˌkɑnstɪˈtuʃənəl
ʊ	foot	fʊt	misunderstood	ˌmɪsʌndərˈstʊd
ʌ	cut	kʌt	wonderful	ˈwʌndərfl
ə	sofa	ˈsoʊfə	cellular	ˈsɛljələr
aɪ	bite	baɪt	environment	ɪnˈvaɪrənmənt
aʊ	cow	kaʊ	outage	ˈaʊtɪʤ
oʊ	show	ʃoʊ	globalization	ˌgloʊbəlɪˈzeɪʃən
ɔɪ	boy	bɔɪ	employment	ɪmˈplɔɪmənt
ɝ	bird	bɝd	fervor	ˈfɜrvər
ɚ	letter	ˈlɛtər	murderer	ˈmɜrdərə