# Pronounce Words

> To hear how a word is pronounced, type it into the box above, pick a language and accent, and press Pronounce, or Slowly for half speed. It uses the speech voices built into your browser and device, so it's free, instant and private: the word isn't sent to Kenerate AI. For a studio recording, use the Voice Studio's pronunciation dictionary.

URL: https://kenerateai.com/pronounce-words
Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com)
Last updated: 29 September 2026

## Key facts
- Price: Free, no sign-up
- How it works: Your device's built-in speech voices (Web Speech API)
- Speeds: Normal and slow (half speed)
- Languages: Whatever your browser/OS provides — often 20+
- Studio option: AI voices + MiniMax pronunciation dictionary
- Demo "George" (English, ElevenLabs Multilingual v2): script: Quinoa, Worcestershire, epitome and niche: four words people love to argue about.
- Demo "Expressive Narrator" (English, MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD): script: Siobhan, Joaquin, Niamh and Xiomara are all coming to dinner on Saturday.
- Demo "Trustworth Man" (English, MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD, Default reading): script: Please welcome our new design lead, Linh Nguyen.
- Demo "Trustworth Man" (English, MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD, Pronunciation dictionary: Nguyen → Win): script: Please welcome our new design lead, Linh Nguyen.

## Steps
1. Type the word — A single word, a name or a short phrase.
2. Pick a language and accent — The list shows the voices your device has; English (US) and English (UK) differ a lot.
3. Press Pronounce or Slowly — Listen at normal speed, then at half speed to catch the stress.
4. Need a recording? — Open it in the Voice Studio for a studio-quality AI voice, and fix names with the pronunciation dictionary.

## In depth

### How the free tool speaks
Modern browsers include a speech synthesizer that web pages can use through the Web Speech API [1]. It speaks with the voices installed on your device — which is why it's instant, free and private, and why the voices differ from phone to laptop.

### Why pronunciation is hard
English spelling doesn't always match sound [2]:
- Silent letters — Worcester, Leicester, knight.
- Loanwords — quinoa, gnocchi, pho keep their original sounds.
- Stress — REcord (noun) vs reCORD (verb).
- Names — Irish, Vietnamese and many other names follow their own language's rules.

### Pronunciation dictionaries
For recordings, text-to-speech engines let you override how a word is spoken without changing the text. In the Voice Studio, MiniMax Speech 2.8's pronunciation dictionary maps a word to its spoken form — as the before/after demo on this page shows.

References:
[1] MDN — Web Speech API: SpeechSynthesis: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/SpeechSynthesis
[2] Wikipedia — English orthography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_orthography

## FAQ
Q: How do I hear how a word is pronounced?
A: Type it into the box at the top of this page, choose a language and accent, and press Pronounce. Press Slowly to hear it at half speed.

Q: Is this pronunciation tool free?
A: Yes — it's free with no sign-up. It uses your device's built-in speech voices, so nothing is uploaded.

Q: Why do the voices sound different on my phone and laptop?
A: The tool uses the speech voices your browser and operating system provide, and those differ between devices.

Q: How do I make an AI voice say a name correctly?
A: In the Voice Studio, use MiniMax Speech 2.8's pronunciation dictionary to map the word to how it's said (for example Nguyen → Win), or spell it phonetically in the script.

Q: Can I hear British and American pronunciation?
A: Yes, if your device has both English (UK) and English (US) voices — most do. Pick them in the language list.

Q: Can I download the pronunciation?
A: The free tool plays audio only. For a downloadable MP3, open the word in the Voice Studio.

## Related pages
- Text to Speech: https://kenerateai.com/text-to-speech
- What Is Text to Speech?: https://kenerateai.com/what-is-text-to-speech
- British Accent Generator: https://kenerateai.com/british-accent-generator
- AI Voice Generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-voice-generator

## Sources
- MDN — Web Speech API: SpeechSynthesis: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/SpeechSynthesis
- Kenerate Voice Studio (engines, voices and limits from the app's code): https://kenerateai.com/app/voice
- MiniMax Speech 2.8 HD on WaveSpeed: https://wavespeed.ai/models/minimax/speech-2.8-hd