what is text to speech
Text-to-speech turns written text into natural spoken audio. Here is the plain definition.
- Converts text to audio with AI voices
- 1,500+ voices, 30+ languages
- Streaming for real-time playback
- Billed per character
definition
Text-to-speech (TTS) is technology that converts written text into spoken audio. You give it text; it gives you a voice reading that text. Modern TTS uses AI models to produce natural-sounding speech, so the result sounds like a person rather than the flat, robotic voices of older systems.
In practice it is an API call. You send text, choose a voice and language, and receive either an audio file or a live stream of audio. The quality difference between old and new TTS is the naturalness of the voice and the control you have over how it reads.
how-it-works
An AI model maps your text to a waveform that sounds like a human speaking it. You pick a voice from a catalog of 1,500+ across 30+ languages. SSML markup lets you control pacing, pauses, and emphasis, and emotion control sets the tone. Streaming mode returns the first audio in under 300ms, so real-time apps can begin playback right away instead of waiting for a full render.
what-its-used-for
TTS powers audiobook and podcast narration, e-learning voiceover, IVR and phone prompts, accessibility read-aloud, video voiceover, game dialogue, and spoken notifications. The common thread is text that needs to be heard: TTS supplies the voice without a studio or a booked voice actor.
how-its-priced
TTS is typically billed per character of input text, which makes cost predictable and scales cleanly from a single notification to a full audiobook. See the pricing page for current rates.
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Text-to-speech turns written text into natural spoken audio. Here is the plain definition.