---
title: SpeechSynthesis
slug: Web/API/SpeechSynthesis
tags:
  - API
  - Experimental
  - Interface
  - NeedsTranslation
  - Reference
  - SpeechSynthesis
  - TopicStub
  - Web Speech API
  - speech
  - synthesis
translation_of: Web/API/SpeechSynthesis
---
<p>{{APIRef("Web Speech API")}}{{SeeCompatTable}}</p>

<p>The <strong><code>SpeechSynthesis</code></strong> interface of the <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Speech_API">Web Speech API</a> is the controller interface for the speech service; this can be used to retrieve information about the synthesis voices available on the device, start and pause speech, and other commands besides.</p>

<h2 id="Properties">Properties</h2>

<p><em><code>SpeechSynthesis</code> also inherits properties from its parent interface, {{domxref("EventTarget")}}.</em></p>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.paused")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A {{domxref("Boolean")}} that returns <code>true</code> if the <code>SpeechSynthesis</code> object is in a paused state.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.pending")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A {{domxref("Boolean")}} that returns <code>true</code> if the utterance queue contains as-yet-unspoken utterances.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.speaking")}} {{readonlyinline}}</dt>
 <dd>A {{domxref("Boolean")}} that returns <code>true</code> if an utterance is currently in the process of being spoken — even if <code>SpeechSynthesis</code> is in a paused state.</dd>
</dl>

<dl>
</dl>

<h2 id="Methods">Methods</h2>

<p><em><code>SpeechSynthesis</code> also inherits methods from its parent interface, {{domxref("EventTarget")}}.</em></p>

<dl>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.cancel()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Removes all utterances from the utterance queue.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.getVoices()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Returns a list of {{domxref("SpeechSynthesisVoice")}} objects representing all the available voices on the current device.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.pause()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Puts the <code>SpeechSynthesis</code> object into a paused state.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.resume()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Puts the <code>SpeechSynthesis</code> object into a non-paused state: resumes it if it was already paused.</dd>
 <dt>{{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.speak()")}}</dt>
 <dd>Adds an {{domxref("SpeechSynthesisUtterance", "utterance")}} to the utterance queue; it will be spoken when any other utterances queued before it have been spoken.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Events">Events</h2>

<p>Listen to this event using <code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/EventTarget/addEventListener">addEventListener()</a></code> or by assigning an event listener to the <code>on<em>eventname</em></code> property of this interface.</p>

<dl>
 <dt><code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/SpeechSynthesis/voiceschanged_event">voiceschanged</a></code></dt>
 <dd>Fired when the list of {{domxref("SpeechSynthesisVoice")}} objects that would be returned by the {{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.getVoices()")}} method has changed.<br>
 Also available via the <code><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/SpeechSynthesis/onvoiceschanged">onvoiceschanged</a></code> property.</dd>
</dl>

<h2 id="Examples">Examples</h2>

<p>In our basic <a href="https://github.com/mdn/web-speech-api/tree/master/speak-easy-synthesis">Speech synthesiser demo</a>, we first grab a reference to the SpeechSynthesis controller using <code>window.speechSynthesis</code>. After defining some necessary variables, we retrieve a list of the voices available using {{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.getVoices()")}} and populate a select menu with them so the user can choose what voice they want.</p>

<p>Inside the <code>inputForm.onsubmit</code> handler, we stop the form submitting with <a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Event/preventDefault">preventDefault()</a>,  create a new {{domxref("SpeechSynthesisUtterance")}} instance containing the text from the text {{htmlelement("input")}}, set the utterance's voice to the voice selected in the {{htmlelement("select")}} element, and start the utterance speaking via the {{domxref("SpeechSynthesis.speak()")}} method.</p>

<pre class="brush: js">var synth = window.speechSynthesis;

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

var pitch = document.querySelector('#pitch');
var pitchValue = document.querySelector('.pitch-value');
var rate = document.querySelector('#rate');
var rateValue = document.querySelector('.rate-value');

var voices = [];

function populateVoiceList() {
  voices = synth.getVoices();

  for(i = 0; i &lt; voices.length ; i++) {
    var option = document.createElement('option');
    option.textContent = voices[i].name + ' (' + voices[i].lang + ')';

    if(voices[i].default) {
      option.textContent += ' -- DEFAULT';
    }

    option.setAttribute('data-lang', voices[i].lang);
    option.setAttribute('data-name', voices[i].name);
    voiceSelect.appendChild(option);
  }
}

populateVoiceList();
if (speechSynthesis.onvoiceschanged !== undefined) {
  speechSynthesis.onvoiceschanged = populateVoiceList;
}

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

  var utterThis = new SpeechSynthesisUtterance(inputTxt.value);
  var selectedOption = voiceSelect.selectedOptions[0].getAttribute('data-name');
  for(i = 0; i &lt; voices.length ; i++) {
    if(voices[i].name === selectedOption) {
      utterThis.voice = voices[i];
    }
  }
  utterThis.pitch = pitch.value;
  utterThis.rate = rate.value;
  synth.speak(utterThis);

  inputTxt.blur();
}</pre>

<h2 id="Specifications">Specifications</h2>

<table class="standard-table">
 <tbody>
  <tr>
   <th scope="col">Specification</th>
   <th scope="col">Status</th>
   <th scope="col">Comment</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
   <td>{{SpecName('Web Speech API', '#tts-section', 'SpeechSynthesis')}}</td>
   <td>{{Spec2('Web Speech API')}}</td>
   <td> </td>
  </tr>
 </tbody>
</table>

<h2 id="Browser_compatibility">Browser compatibility</h2>

<div>


<p>{{Compat("api.SpeechSynthesis")}}</p>
</div>

<h2 id="See_also">See also</h2>

<ul>
 <li><a href="/en-US/docs/Web/API/Web_Speech_API">Web Speech API</a></li>
</ul>