Improve Voice Agent Pronounciation

Teach your voice agent how to pronounce words, acronyms, and symbols correctly

Better Pronunciation for Your Voice Agent

Does your voice agent struggle with pronouncing company names, technical terms, or web addresses? You can now customize how your voice agent pronounces specific words, making conversations more natural and professional.

Where to Find This Feature

Navigate to your Voice Channel settings
Go to the Voice tab
Click the Fine-tune Pronunciation button

You can access this directly at: armin.cx/app/[organization]/channels/phone/[channel-id] and select the Voice tab

How It Works

You can define custom pronunciations in two ways:

1. Alias Method (Recommended for Beginners)

Replace words with phonetic spellings that sound right. This is perfect for:

Company names
Acronyms
Web addresses
Special symbols

Examples:

@ → at
NGINX → Engine-X
CEO → Chief Executive Officer
https:// → H T T P S colon slash slash
.com → dot com

2. Phoneme Method (Advanced)Use International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) notation for precise pronunciation control. This is ideal when the alias method doesn’t quite capture the right sound.Examples:

WhatsApp → /wɒtsˈæp/
Kubernetes → /ˌkuːbərˈneɪtiːz/

Need help with phonemes? Use the IPA Generator link in the dialog to convert words to phonetic notation.

Step-by-Step Guide

Adding a Pronunciation Rule

Select Language: Choose the language group your voice agent uses
Click “Add Rule”: Create a new pronunciation entry
Enter the Text: Type the word or symbol you want to customize
Choose Type: Select “Alias” (easier) or “Phoneme” (advanced)
Enter Pronunciation:
- For Alias: Type how it should sound
- For Phoneme: Enter the IPA notation
Save: Click the Save button to apply your changes

Managing Multiple Languages

If your voice agent supports multiple languages, you can:

Switch between language tabs to add rules for each language
Create language-specific pronunciations (e.g., “CEO” might be pronounced differently in English vs. German)

Common Use Cases

Web and Email Elements

Original	Alias
`@`	`at`
`www.`	`W W W dot`
`.com`	`dot com`
`https://`	`H T T P S colon slash slash`

Business Acronyms

Original	Alias
`FAQ`	`frequently asked questions`
`HR`	`human resources`
`IT`	`information technology`
`KPI`	`key performance indicator`

German Examples

Original	Alias (German)
`@`	`ät`
`CEO`	`Geschäftsführer`
`FAQ`	`häufig gestellte Fragen`
`URL`	`Webadresse`
`AI` / `KI`	`Künstliche Intelligenz`
`.de`	`Punkt D E`

Special Characters

Original	Alias
`&`	`and`
`#`	`hashtag` or `number`
`%`	`percent`
`$`	`dollar`
`€`	`euro`

Best Practices

Test Your Pronunciations

After adding rules, use the “Test Agent” feature to hear how your changes sound in conversation.

Start Simple

Begin with the alias method. It’s easier to understand and works well for most cases.

Be Consistent

If you use abbreviations frequently, add them all at once to ensure consistent pronunciation.

Consider Context

Some words might need different pronunciations in different contexts. Test thoroughly!

Tips for Success

Case Sensitive: Pronunciation rules are case-sensitive. Add separate entries for “CEO” and “ceo” if needed.
Test First: Always test your voice agent after making changes to ensure the pronunciation sounds natural.
Less is More: Only add rules for words that are actually mispronounced. Too many rules can slow down processing.

Need Help?

If you’re unsure about how to pronounce something:

Try the alias method first with simple phonetic spelling
Use the IPA Generator tool (linked in the dialog) for complex words
Test different variations until it sounds right

Remember to publish your voice agent after making pronunciation changes for them to take effect!