Phonetic Guide for Text to Speech

Because the spelling of English words is not a precise guide to pronunciation, the Text to Speech accommodation will not always pronounce words correctly. To correct or enhance the pronunciation of words on a test item, you can enter alternate text with phonetic word spellings as well as commas, hyphens, and apostrophes. The tips and table below provide examples.

Always preview Text to Speech for test items and tests to ensure accuracy.

Text to Speech is not supported with the scramble answer choice functionality.

To enter alternate text

1. In the Question/Passage Content Editor, select a word, math equation, image, audio file, or table. For tables, alternate text can be entered for content within the table or the entire table (in Table Properties). If alternate text is entered for both, only the alt text for the entire table will be read.
2. Click the Alternate text icon.
3. Enter the alternate text for the selected item. For tables, enter text for the entire table.

Tips to improve pronunciation

• For a short pause between words, use a dash (-) or comma (,). Often an apostrophe at the end or middle of the word will work. When using a comma, the comma should be attached to the last word before the pause, with a single space after it. Do not use double spaces.
• There are some cases where the speech engine may read a portion of the text better if a comma is removed from the original text.
• For a longer, more pronounced pause between words use a semicolon (;) or period (.)
• Placing a period at the end of a word within a sentence can help by slowing down the speech engine. Similarly, a capital letter can be used within a word.
• If the speech engine ignores a period and skips quickly to the next word, use a semicolon instead. This can happen when a period is before an end quote.
• A semicolon works better to end a quote in some cases. A hyphen can make the speech engine read it as though there is more of the quote coming.
• When a quote ends with a question mark, make sure that the question mark is the only punctuation mark between the last word of the quote and the end quote. If you add a hyphen or any other punctuation, it creates a double-stacking of punctuation. Do not double-stack punctuation.
• If there are several short words in a row, it's best to have the speech engine pause somewhere. For example, the speech engine says, "to be or not to be" too quickly. Try changing the text to "to be - or not to be" or even "to be - or not too be."
• If the speech engine silences the "ed" of a past tense verb, try replacing ed with dd or 'dd. For example, show'dd (for showed).

Vowel and consonant manipulation

• Some consonants are clearer when they are doubled. For example, dreaddful, goodd, kidd, inggnorant, legg, reggulating, allso, allready, generall, labelled, padalled, sprinkller, beann, even, inn, mann, onn, rann, sunn, thann, coppies, developp, upp, afterr, Amerrica, morre, nearr, otherr, starr, underr, warr, wearr, wearry admitt, artt, att, chartt, conttanct, countties, cutt, easttern, gott, itt, lett, nott, pointt, protectted, secrett, spott, thatt, wett, whatt, catss,elementss, hiss, horsess, ingredientss, officialss, pathss, productss, tailss, thisss, wass, yearss.
• Sometimes changing double consonants to a single consonant works better. For example, traped instead of trapped, buble instead of bubble.
• Double the vowel: mooved instead of moved. The double "ee" can be used for better enunciation. For example, Bee or beeing (instead of "be" or being"), creeate, creeative, eevil, hee (instead of he), mee (instead of me), wee (instead of we), etc.
• Insert and extra "e" in verbs: if a verb ends with the letter "e" in its present tense, but there is no "e" in the tense you are currently using, the pronunciation maybe clearer if you insert and extra "e." For example "rideing" (instead of riding).
• Delete the vowel "e". For example, ben (instead of been) or camra (instead of carmera).
• Split up a word with hyphens: aero-dynamic, aft-er, any-thing, a-way, be-cause, bee-lo (below), be-fore, dis-like, dis-mount, in-telligence, in-put, in-to, life-long, re-liable, try-ing, un-curl, un-likely, up-set, with-in, with-out.
• Removing a silent "e" at the end of a CVCe (consonant-vowel-consonant-silent e), often makes the speech engine pronounce the word with a short vowel instead of a long vowel. Similarly, adding a silent "e" makes a short vowel long. A silent "e" softens a "c" sound, so the speech engine doesn't pronounce a hard c (k sound).
• Vowel patterns that create a long A sound: ai, ay, sometimes ei, ey.
• Vowel patterns that create a long E sound: ee, eee, ea, sometimes ie.
• Vowel patterns that create a long I sound: igh, y.
• Vowel patterns that create a long O sound: oa, ow.
• Vowel patterns that create a long U sound: ue, oo, ew ue, ul.

Table: Suggested phonetic spellings for alternate text

Word	Phonetic Spelling	Notes
a	ay, uh, uhh	Depends on surrounding words. May also work in words that begin with "a". For example, uhhpointed instead of appointed, or uh-warded instead of awarded.
about	uhbout
abuse	uhbuse
actuary	actuairy
after	aft-er
age	ayge
along	a-long
also	allso
an	ann
anger	ayngger
another	anuhthur
antifouling	an-tee-fouling, an-tie-fouling	Both pronunciations are acceptable.
apparently	apparentlee
appointed	uhhpointed
are	arre
armature	armatchur
array	a-ray
articulate	aritculit	For the adjective, as in "She is articulate."
as	ass, az	When followed by a vowel.
at once	att wance
attached	attacht
awarded	uh-warded
away	a-weigh
axes	akseez	For the mathematical term when "axes" does not work.
bearings	bearrings
behind	behindd
benefited	benefitted
big	bigg
bistro	beestro
bow	bo, beau	As in "shoot a bow."
bows	boes
breathable	breethabul	Otherwise it will be pronounced breath - able.
buffet	buffay
by	buy, bye
cathedral	cuthedral
chart	chartt
chi	chee	As in life force or energy.
city	sit-ee
clearly	clear-lee
close	clohse
close-up	cloase up	ABBI wanted to pronounce this "cloze up" -as if decribing the act of closing a store for the evening; the "oa" softens the s.
cockroach	cockkrroach
college	colleje
coming	come-een
communist	commyounistt
communities	cuhmyounities	Original word, "communities, "sounds rushed.
complex	coMplex	Capital letter in the middle of a word, often, NOT always, clarifies the pronunciation
consists	cun-sists
constitution	con-sta-tution
construction	construckshun
cost	cawst
content	cun'tent - peaceful feeling con-tent - subject matter, text	Heteronyms are words the are spelled the same but pronounced differently, such as content, contest, convict, invalid, etc.
contest	cun-test	As in "to contest a ticket."
create	creeate
creating	creyating
creative	creeative
cut in	cutt inn
deleterious	deletairious
delighted	deelighted, dee-lighted
delivered	dee-liv-erd
detail	deetail
dews	dooz
dinosaur	dinosore	The speech engine does not always confuse the pronunciation of dinosaur, and sometimes "dinosore" does not work. The preceding word can blend with and change the pronunciation.
directly	directl,y, directl'y
dormice	doremeyess or door-mice
dove	dohve	As in "I dove for the ball." The speech engine usually pronounces this as the bird.
drinkable	drink-abull
droopy	drewpee
ears	eeyers	The speech engine sometimes rushes the word.
eat	eatt
ecosystems	eecosystems
elasmobranch	elasma-brank	A fish group of sharks, rays, and skates.
elements	elementss
email	e-mail, ee-mail
empirical	imp-ear-ikel
enter	innter
environmentally	environment-uhly
events	e-vents
evil	eevil
exciting	exceyeting
exerting	exertting
faint	faintt	The combination of the letters "nt" often softens the "t" so that it cannot be heard.
fidgeting	fidge'tting
financial	fi-nanshil	As in "financial generosity." The original spelling works in isolation.
fission	fizsion
flying	flyinn
for	four, fore
fortissimo	forteesseemo
foul	fowel
Franklin	Frank-lin
frustrated	frustraited	Adding the "i" creates the vowel blend "ai", which emphasized the long "a".
gaze	gayze
getting	getteen
girls	gerls
glamour	glamer
gold	goaled
group	groupp
gymnast	gymnest
halt	holt	Only necessary when "halt" is followed by a comma, and that comma can be removed without disrupting flow.
hangs	hanggs
harmful	harmfull
he	hee
herbs	erbs
his	hiz	Sometimes helps when the following word begins with a vowel.
house	howse
human	hewman
hunt	huntt
hurried	hurreed
hurtle	hurtul
hypotenuse	high-pot-en-uce
idea	idee-uh
important	importantt
in	inn
indubitably	indoobitably
instrument	innsstrument
itchy	itch'ee
intelligence	in-telligence
international	innter-national
invalid	in-valid - not valid invah'lid - sick person	This is a heteronym.
knelt	kNelt	Past participle. Using a capital letter within a word often helps with enunciation and clearer pronunciation.
knight	KNight
knot	not	The speech engine vocalizes the k.
joint	jointe
laden	laydin
little	litl, litll, littul
lives	livs	To be alive; exist.
lives	lyves	Plural form of life.
mademoiselle	mahdumwah-zell	For foreign words, get as close to an authentic pronunciation as possible.
masala	muhsala	A mix of spices used in Indian cookery.
maybe	maybee, may-be
mead	meed
melancholy	melloncollie
mimicry	mimmick-ree
minute	minit
minutely	minute-ly
moment	momint
monumental	mahnumental
more	morre
my	migh
needs	needss
neglected	nehgglected
nightie	night-t'ee
nuances	newonces
nutrient	nutrientt
object	uhbject
of	uv, ov, ove
of a	ov a, ov ay	"Uv a" is not always consistent or necessary. It depends on what comes before or after.
older	ulder
on	awn
one	won, wuhn
once	wonce, wance
or	ore
ounces		When preceded with "in" as "in ounces," a pause is needed: "in, ounces" to fully pronounce "ounces."
owls	owels	Sometimes "owls" is fine, but "owels" elongates the pronunciation in certain cases.
paleontological	pay-lee-on-talogical
paradise	pairadise
parson	pahrson, pahhrson	A beneficed member of the clergy.
pastureland	past-ure-land
paw	pah, pahh	Often "paw" sounds ok depending on the first letter of the following word.
peony	peohny	A shrubby plant.
perfect	per-fect	As in "to perfect a skill."
placed	playsted
plantains	plan-taynes
pleases	pleas-ees
Polish	pullish	As in "the man is Polish." Otherwise, the speech engine pronounces this as "polish the silver."
poking	pohkeeing
postal	posttall
prairie	pair-ee
present	pre-zen, pra-zent, preh-zent'
produce	pro-duce	Fruits and vegetables.
progress	pro-gress
project	pr'oject	A research project.
protected	protectted
purpose	perpiss
queer	kwear, kweear
radii	ray-dee-eye	Plural of radius.
raised	rayzed
ran	rann
reason	reezon
read	reed	Present tense of read.
read	red	Past tense of read.
rebel (verb)	re-bel	The speech engine can rush the word and pronounce it like the noun (He is a rebel).
recently	recent-lee
record (noun)	rekkerd	As in a thing constituting a piece of evidence about the past. To keep "record" of.
record (verb)	record', records'	As in to set down in writing or some other permanent form for later reference.
recreation	wreckcreeation
regulating	reggulating
related	relayted
relationship	reelationship
reliable	re-liable
researcher	re-searcher
ride	ryde
rise	rize
roast	rowst
rot	rawt
said	sedd
sardine	sardeen, sardeenn
science	scienss
scurrying	scurreeying	Move hurriedly with short quick steps.
see	seee, seeee
separate	separatt
sharklet	shark-lette
shewed	shoed	Old-fashioned variant spelling of "show".
shopping	shop-ing
sicken	sikkin, sickin	(verb) To make someone feel disgusted or become ill.
similes	sim-uhlees
slowly	slowlly
so	sew
spontaneity	sponn-tanayity
standardized	standar-dized
start	startt
streusel	stroosel
struggle	struggul
substantive	substunt-tive
synchrony	sink-row-nee
tear (verb)	tair	As in to pull or rip (something) apart. However, tear (noun) as "I cried a tear" has the correct pronunciation.
that	thaht, thatt
them	thehm, themm
they	thay
thinnest	thinnesst
this	thiss
tired	tyrred
to	too, two	Use too or two if you want a longer pause before the next word.
toes	tohs	The speech engine usually pronounces the word correctly, depending on the word that precedes or follows.
tried	trihed
trying	try-ing
tulip	toolip
uh	uhh	A form of exclamation. The extra "h" gives the correct pronunciation.
university	yooneversity
urgency	erjancee
use	you'se, yooz, uze
value	valyue, val-you
varied	varryed
vicar	vikar	A member of the clergy or representative of a bishop.
wailing	whayleeing
was	wass
waved	wayved
way	weigh
we	wee
wedded	weddid
weight	wayt, waytt
wet	wett
whales	whayles
whaling	whayleeng	The practice of hunting whales.
whirs	whirrs
whitest	whit'ets, whittest, whitt'est,whytest, white-st, why-tist
win	wiN	Using a capital letter within a word often helps with enunciation.
wind	winned
winged	wing-ed, wing-ED