Are you looking to improve your Google Text-to-Speech (TTS) experience? Want to customize the pronunciation of words or add a touch of personalization to your TTS? Look no further than TTSLexx! In this blog post, we’ll explore the features and benefits of this handy application that allows you to create and utilize custom dictionaries for Google’s Speech Services.
Table of Contents
What is TTSLexx?
TTSLexx is a powerful add-on built on top of Google TTS, designed to modify the text before sending it to Google’s text-to-speech service. With TTSLexx, you can create and use custom dictionaries to tweak the pronunciation of words or replace certain expressions, making your TTS experience even better.
Supported Languages
TTSLexx is most useful for languages with stress marks, like Russian, but it can also enhance reading in other languages. Supported languages include Bangla, Chinese, English, French, German, Gujarati, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Korean, Malayalam, Marathi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.
Features of TTSLexx
- Built-in Editor: TTSLexx comes with a built-in editor that allows you to create a TTS.lexx dictionary in the app’s internal storage. You can access it using the notification or the Share function, available in almost all readers. The editor provides a convenient way to view the text received from the reader app and what is sent to Google TTS after processing.
- Voice Selection: TTSLexx allows you to select and remember a specific voice for reading, independent of the default Google voice. This feature adds a personalized touch to your TTS experience.
- Abbreviation Removal: TTSLexx automatically removes dots at the end of sentences to avoid reading abbreviations, which are often mispronounced.
- Additional Text Processing for Russian Language: For the Russian language, TTSLexx offers additional text processing, including cleaning, standardization, and replacing certain characters to ensure correct pronunciation.
- Support for “Network” Voices: TTSLexx supports “network” voices and enables you to use a separate NET.lexx dictionary for them. Network voices require a quality internet connection and offer improved pronunciation accuracy. However, please note that Google’s Speech Services may automatically decide to use network voices or their “local” variants.
Dictionary Entries in TTSLexx
The TTSLexx dictionary uses three types of entries to customize your TTS experience:
- Regular Expressions: Allows you to exclude certain text patterns from being voiced, such as link numbers.
- Direct Word Replacement: Enables you to replace words or expressions with specific reading alternatives. This feature is handy for correcting abbreviations or homographs in the Russian language.
- Accent Correction: The most extensive part of the dictionary is for the Russian language. It replaces single words with the correct accent, improving pronunciation. Sometimes, you may need to change letters or add new ones to achieve the desired effect.
Important Warning
TTSLexx is a fantastic tool, but it’s not recommended for use with critical applications like TalkBack. Its functionality heavily relies on Speech Services by Google, and it doesn’t support output to an audio file.
In conclusion, TTSLexx is a valuable application for anyone looking to enhance their Google TTS experience. By using custom dictionaries, you can fine-tune pronunciation and make your TTS sound more natural and personalized. However, remember that this tool might not be suitable for all use cases, and its performance depends on Google’s Speech Services. So, if you’re eager to improve your TTS, give TTSLexx a try and explore its capabilities for yourself!