Home › Resources & tools › IPA to Speech (IPA Reader)

IPA to Speech (IPA Reader)

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is a standardized system for representing the sounds of spoken languages using special phonetic symbols. It can be found in dictionaries, language learning materials, and linguistic research. Reading phonetic transcriptions (and decoding IPA symbols) is therefore a common task for both experts and phonetics enthusiasts.

This tool converts IPA phonetic transcriptions into speech audio using speech synthesis technology. It supports 42 languages/dialects, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and many more.

Type in the phonetic transcription (even for a made-up word) using the virtual IPA keyboard below and click Listen to play the corresponding audio pronunciation. Make sure to select the correct language and only use the symbols from the keyboard.

If you can't hear any sound on your phone or tablet when you press Listen, make sure that the device is not in silent mode. It's not enough to just turn the volume up; you need to turn off silent mode.

Select the language you want to use.
Enter IPA using the keyboard below and press Listen. Examples: fəˈnɛtɪks, ˈsɪmbəl, ˈɪŋglɪʃ.
Stress
ˈ
ˌ
Vowels
ɑː
fast
æ
fat
ʌ
bug
ɛə
hair
out
ə
ago
five
ɛ
egg
ɜː
ernest
ailment
ɪ
adding
ɪə
beard
eat
ɒ
pod
ɔː
dawn
əʊ
code
ɔɪ
point
ʊ
look
ʊə
tour
food
Consonants
b
bike
challenge
d
date
ð
this
f
face
g
gold
h
hurry
j
yes
gin
k
cat
l
left
m
mile
n
nose
ŋ
singer
p
price
ɹ
rate
s
say
ʃ
shop
t
top
θ
theatre
v
very
w
will
z
zero
ʒ
vision

List of supported languages

  • Arabic (Egypt)
  • Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
  • Bulgarian (Bulgaria)
  • Catalan (Spain)
  • Croatian (Croatia)
  • Czech (Czech Republic)
  • Danish (Denmark)
  • Dutch (Belgium)
  • Dutch (Netherlands)
  • English (Australia)
  • English (Canada)
  • English (Ireland)
  • English (United Kingdom)
  • English (United States)
  • Finnish (Finland)
  • French (Canada)
  • French (France)
  • French (Switzerland)
  • German (Austria)
  • German (Germany)
  • German (Switzerland)
  • Greek (Greece)
  • Hebrew (Israel)
  • Hungarian (Hungary)
  • Indonesian (Indonesia)
  • Italian (Italy)
  • Korean (South Korea)
  • Malay (Malaysia)
  • Norwegian Bokmål (Norway)
  • Polish (Poland)
  • Portuguese (Brazil)
  • Portuguese (Portugal)
  • Romanian (Romania)
  • Russian (Russia)
  • Slovak (Slovakia)
  • Slovenian (Slovenia)
  • Spanish (Mexico)
  • Spanish (Spain)
  • Swedish (Sweden)
  • Thai (Thailand)
  • Turkish (Turkey)
  • Vietnamese (Vietnam)

Usage notes

The keyboard automatically adjusts to the selected language and shows its full phonemic inventory (set of supported input tokens for the TTS model). The keys also show example words for each phoneme for easy reference.

The staggered layout of the virtual keyboard makes it easy to find the symbols you need. In a way, it mimics the layout of a physical computer keyboard and prevents it from looking too patterned.

The naturalness of the output may vary. You can achieve better results with sequences of phonemes that are phonotactically typical for the selected language as opposed to, e.g., listening to single phonemes in isolation.

This tool uses Unicode IPA characters displayed with the browser's default sans-serif font.

Help improve this tool by sharing your feedback—what could be better or what you found helpful. Or share ideas for other phonetics tools you'd like to see here.

See also

syllable IPA Transcription Poster
$14.99

A poster featuring the phonetic transcription of the word syllable in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

In development
Phonetic Keyboard, US English Base Layout

Type phonetic symbols with ease. Perfect for linguists, language students, and anyone who needs to type IPA characters on a regular basis.

Big Phonetic Transcriptions
$29.99

A collection of phonetic transcriptions showcasing the beauty of phonetic notation.

IPA Vowel Chart Poster, English-Labeled
$19.99

A poster featuring the IPA vowel chart.

Big Phonetic Symbols
$29.99

Explore the fine details of the characters used to communicate the sounds of human speech.

IPA Quiz

Test your knowledge of the symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet.

IPA Keyboard (Alt.)

Write phonetic transcriptions by picking the symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) chart.

IPA Chart

An online IPA chart.

IPA Wallpaper Generator

Create high-quality wallpapers with IPA transcriptions.

U.S. presidents pronunciation guide

A pronunciation guide for the names of U.S. presidents, using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).

All prices listed are in United States Dollars (USD). Visual representations of products are intended for illustrative purposes. Actual products may exhibit variations in color, texture, or other characteristics inherent to the manufacturing process. The products' design and underlying technology are protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution is prohibited.