Web/API/SpeechSynthesisUtterance

This is an experimental technologyCheck the Browser compatibility table carefully before using this in production.

The SpeechSynthesisUtterance interface of the Web Speech API represents a speech request. It contains the content the speech service should read and information about how to read it (e.g. language, pitch and volume.)

Constructor

SpeechSynthesisUtterance.SpeechSynthesisUtterance(): Returns a new SpeechSynthesisUtterance object instance.

Properties

SpeechSynthesisUtterance also inherits properties from its parent interface, EventTarget.

SpeechSynthesisUtterance.lang: Gets and sets the language of the utterance.
SpeechSynthesisUtterance.pitch: Gets and sets the pitch at which the utterance will be spoken at.
SpeechSynthesisUtterance.rate: Gets and sets the speed at which the utterance will be spoken at.
SpeechSynthesisUtterance.text: Gets and sets the text that will be synthesised when the utterance is spoken.
SpeechSynthesisUtterance.voice: Gets and sets the voice that will be used to speak the utterance.
SpeechSynthesisUtterance.volume: Gets and sets the volume that the utterance will be spoken at.

Events

Listen to these events using addEventListener() or by assigning an event listener to the oneventname property of this interface.

boundary: Fired when the spoken utterance reaches a word or sentence boundary. Also available via the onboundary property.
end: Fired when the utterance has finished being spoken. Also available via the onend property.
error: Fired when an error occurs that prevents the utterance from being succesfully spoken. Also available via the onerror property
mark: Fired when the spoken utterance reaches a named SSML "mark" tag. Also available via the onmark property.
pause: Fired when the utterance is paused part way through. Also available via the onpause property.
resume: Fired when a paused utterance is resumed. Also available via the onresume property.
start: Fired when the utterance has begun to be spoken. Also available via the onstart property.

Examples

In our basic [[../../../../../../mdn.github.io/web-speech-api/speak-easy-synthesis/index|Speech synthesiser demo]] (source), we first grab a reference to the SpeechSynthesis controller using window.speechSynthesis. After defining some necessary variables, we retrieve a list of the voices available using SpeechSynthesis.getVoices() and populate a select menu with them so the user can choose what voice they want.

Inside the inputForm.onsubmit handler, we stop the form submitting with preventDefault(), use the constructor to create a new utterance instance containing the text from the text <input>, set the utterance's voice to the voice selected in the <select> element, and start the utterance speaking via the SpeechSynthesis.speak() method.

var synth = window.speechSynthesis;
var voices = synth.getVoices();

var inputForm = document.querySelector('form');
var inputTxt = document.querySelector('input');
var voiceSelect = document.querySelector('select');

for(var i = 0; i < voices.length; i++) {
  var option = document.createElement('option');
  option.textContent = voices[i].name + ' (' + voices[i].lang + ')';
  option.value = i;
  voiceSelect.appendChild(option);
}

inputForm.onsubmit = function(event) {
  event.preventDefault();

  var utterThis = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance(inputTxt.value);
  utterThis.voice = voices[voiceSelect.value];
  synth.speak(utterThis);
  inputTxt.blur();
}

Specifications

Specification	Status	Comment
Web Speech APIThe definition of 'SpeechSynthesisUtterance' in that specification.	Draft

Browser compatibility

Update compatibility data on GitHub

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	Android webview	Chrome for Android	Firefox for Android	Opera for Android	Safari on iOS	Samsung Internet
`SpeechSynthesisUtterance` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support ≤18	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`SpeechSynthesisUtterance()` constructor Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support ≤18	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`boundary` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`end` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`error` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`lang` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`mark` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onboundary` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onend` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onerror` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onmark` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onpause` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onresume` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`onstart` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`pause` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`pitch` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`rate` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`resume` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`start` event Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`text` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`voice` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0
`volume` Experimental'	Chrome Full support 33	Edge Full support 14	Firefox Full support 49	IE No support No	Opera Full support 21	Safari Full support 7	WebView Android No support No	Chrome Android Full support 33	Firefox Android Full support 62 Full support 62 No support 61 — 62 Disabled' Disabled' From version 61 until version 62 (exclusive): this feature is behind the `media.webspeech.synth.enabled` preference (needs to be set to `true`). To change preferences in Firefox, visit about:config.	Opera Android No support No	Safari iOS Full support 7	Samsung Internet Android Full support 3.0

Legend

Full support: Full support
No support: No support
Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.': Experimental. Expect behavior to change in the future.
User must explicitly enable this feature.': User must explicitly enable this feature.