Try basic techniques first! Before diving into advanced respelling, make sure you've tried the essential optimization methods covered in Optimizing AI Videos and Audio.

Use these advanced techniques when:

These techniques work for both:

⚠️ Not a pronunciation issue? If your video was rejected for content reasons, see: Avoid your video getting rejected

The respelling system gives you precise control over exactly how the AI pronounces each syllable and which syllables receive emphasis.

Respellings tell the AI the exact sound each syllable should make using a phonetic format.

Format: ::phonetic-spelling::

All respellings are:

Word: Studio
​Respelling: ::STOO-dee-oh::
​Result: Emphasis on "STOO," followed by "dee" and "oh"

Word: Content (the noun, not the adjective)
​Respelling: ::KAHN-tent::
​Result: First syllable emphasized, sounds like "con" not "kun"

✅ Use respelling when:

❌ Don't use respelling for:

Common issues:

For an acronym that should be pronounced like a word, spell it phonetically or use respelling.

Problem: FEMA sounds awkward
​Simple fix: feema
​Advanced fix: ::FEE-muh::

Problem: NASA doesn't sound natural
​Simple fix: nassa
​Advanced fix: ::NA-suh::

Problem: ASAP sounds wrong
​Respelling: ::AY-sap:: or ::eigh-SAP::

For acronyms that should be pronounced letter-by-letter, use spaces or respelling.

Problem: FBI sounds like "fibby"
​Simple fix: F B I
​Advanced fix: ::ehf-bee-Y::

Problem: NYC doesn't sound right
​Simple fix: N Y C
​Advanced fix: ::ehn-wy-SEE::

Problem: MOM should be letters, not "mom"
​Simple fix: M O M or M-O-M
​Advanced fix: ::ehm-OH-ehm::

When respelling initialisms where each letter is spoken individually, use:

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ →
​::ay-bee-see-dee-ee-ehf-jee-aych-y-jay-kay-ehl-ehm-ehn-oh-pee-kyoo-ar-ehs-tee-yoo-vee-DUH-buhl-yoo-ehks-wy-ZEE::

Examples:

Common issues:

For shorter words, spell them phonetically.

Problem: "edamame" sounds wrong
​Solution: edamawmay

Problem: "açai" doesn't sound right
​Solution: ah-sigh-ee or ::ah-SY-ee::

Problem: "quinoa" is mispronounced
​Solution: keen-wah or ::KEEN-wah::

For longer words, break them into syllables and adjust only the problematic syllable.

Problem: "triiodothyronine" (medical term)
​Solution: "try idoe thighro neen" (include quotation marks)

Problem: "antidisestablishmentarianism"
​Solution: Break it: anti-dis-establish-ment-tarian-ism or use partial respelling

Tip: Use quotation marks around complex phonetic spellings to help the AI recognize them as pronunciation guides.

For precise control, use the respelling format with the phonetic charts below.

Problem: "desert" (dry place) sounds like "dessert" (sweet food)
​Respelling: ::DEH-zert::

Problem: "present" (gift) sounds like "present" (to show)
​Respelling: ::PREH-zent:: (gift) vs ::prih-ZENT:: (to show)

Common issues:

Place quotation marks around words or phrases that need emphasis.

Problem: Need to emphasize a specific word
​Solution: This is the "most important" step

Problem: Multiple words need emphasis
​Solution: "Complete this task" before moving forward

Use respelling to control which syllable gets emphasis (UPPERCASE = emphasized).

Problem: "PROduce" (vegetables) sounds like "proDUCE" (to create)
​Solution: ::PROH-doos:: for vegetables
​Alternative: "pro"duce (quotation marks around first syllable)

Problem: "REcord" (noun) sounds like "reCORD" (verb)
​Solution: ::REH-kord:: for noun, ::rih-KORD:: for verb

Problem: "CONtent" (what's inside) sounds like "conTENT" (satisfied)
​Solution: ::KAHN-tent:: for noun, ::kuhn-TENT:: for adjective

Common issues:

Try these methods to get natural question inflection:

Method 1: Record multiple takes
Generate 2-3 versions without changes—you'll notice subtle differences in AI performance.

Method 2: Add comma before final word
​How are you doing, today?

Method 3: Remove end punctuation
​How are you doing today (no question mark)

Method 4: Combine punctuation and quotes
​How are you doing, "today"?
​How are "you" doing, "today"?

Method 5: Emphasize words mid-sentence
​How are "you" doing today?

Try different combinations until you get the inflection you need.

Common issues:

Use spaces between digits to get individual number pronunciation.

Problem: "1246" sounds like "twelve forty-six"
​Solution: 1 2 4 6 (sounds like "one two four six")

Problem: Room number "305" sounds like "three hundred five"
​Solution: 3 0 5 (sounds like "three oh five")

Format dollar amounts to match how you want them pronounced.

Problem: "$1,200,000" sounds awkward
​Solution: $1.2 million (sounds like "one point two million dollars")

Problem: "$500" needs to sound casual
​Solution: 500 bucks or five hundred dollars

Problem: Want just the number, not "dollars"
​Solution: 1.2 million (without $ sign)

Format years based on desired pronunciation.

Problem: "2022" should be "two thousand and twenty-two"
​Solution: 2,022

Problem: "1999" should be "nineteen ninety-nine"
​Solution: Leave as 1999 (AI naturally pronounces this way)

Problem: "2000" needs specific pronunciation
​Solution: two thousand (spell it out)

Use spaces between digit groups for natural pronunciation.

Problem: "(206) 555-3131" sounds robotic
​Solution: 2 0 6 5 5 5 31 31

Problem: Want "triple five" instead of "five five five"
​Solution: 2 0 6 triple 5 31 31 or spell it: two oh six, triple five, thirty-one thirty-one

Common issues:

Different punctuation creates different pause lengths and tones.

Commas (,)

Periods (.)

Ellipses (...)

Combination punctuation (.,.,.,.)

For precise pause control, use break tags (covered in basic guide, but worth repeating):

<break time="2s" /> - Creates a 2-second pause
​<break time="500ms" /> - Creates a half-second pause

Use break tags when:

Use these charts with the respelling system (::phonetic::). The column headers work like fill-in-the-blank:

"To hear 'a' as in all, type AW. Example: ::AWL::"

Example: To make "water" sound natural:

Try these last-resort techniques:

Common respelling mistakes:

Strategy:

No! Only respell words that:

Most words should be left normal - overuse of respelling makes scripts hard to maintain.

Start simple, go advanced only when needed:

Keep your scripts maintainable:

Test with different voices/avatars:

When respelling doesn't work:

A: No! These are advanced techniques for stubborn pronunciation issues. Most content works fine with basic optimization or no changes at all.

A: Yes! You can use ::respelling:: and <break time="1s" /> in the same script.

A: The respelling system and phonetic charts are designed for English. Other languages may require language-specific phonetic approaches. Basic techniques (hyphens, breaks, punctuation) work across all languages.

A: Because letters make different sounds in different contexts. "A" sounds different in "ant," "all," and "ate" - each needs its own phonetic code.

A: Generate the video/audio and listen. If it's not right, try a different code from the charts. Pronunciation fine-tuning often requires iteration.

A: For best results, respell the entire word. Mixing normal text with respelling codes can confuse the AI.

A: Quotation marks add emphasis to normal text. Respelling (::text::) uses phonetic codes to control exact pronunciation. They serve different purposes.

A: No! Keep this article bookmarked as a reference. Most users only need to look up a few codes for specific problem words.

A: Try the codes from the charts. The AI is trained to recognize these specific phonetic symbols.

Optimization guides:

Need help? Contact 7taps support through the Help button in your course editor. Include your script and what you've tried—we can help troubleshoot!

This article is part of the 7taps Help Center. For more guides on creating effective microlearning, visit our complete documentation.