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by dqv 508 days ago
Ah, I'm always looking for new ones, but it doesn't look like it supports SSML. Most engines have trouble with things like postal codes, names, and other implicit linguistic rules. Take the example

> Melania Trump's zip code is 20001.

It says "Melaynia Trump's zip code is twenty-thousand one". With SSML, you can tell the engine the correct pronunciation and to say a string of numbers digit-by-digit. Spelling proper nouns differently to trick it into pronouncing it correctly works until it doesn't.

Being able to tell it to pronounce "Melania" like [ˌməˈlɑːn.jə] or [%m@"lA:n.j@] and tweak other aspects of the synthesis with SSML is, in my opinion, an important part of a commercial speech synthesis offering.

I wonder how much effort is needed to make these engines work with SSML. Kokoro+SSML would be awesome.