# Pronunciation dictionaries

## Overview

Pronunciation dictionaries allow you to customize how your AI agent pronounces specific words or phrases. This is particularly useful for:

- Correcting pronunciation of names, places, or technical terms
- Ensuring consistent pronunciation across conversations
- Customizing regional pronunciation variations

## Configuration

:::callout{intent="note"}
Pronunciation dictionary phoneme tags only work with eleven\_v4, eleven\_flash\_v2 and eleven\_v3 models.

Other models skip dictionary phoneme tags and use the default pronunciation. For other models, use
alias tags instead to substitute spellings or phrases that produce the pronunciation you need.

If you want to use IPA and CMU pronunciations in languages other than English, you will have to
switch to the eleven\_v3 or eleven\_v4 models.
:::

### Attach a dictionary to your agent

#### Update via the dashboard

Open your agent in the dashboard, navigate to **Voice Settings**, and add a pronunciation dictionary. Save your changes.

<img src="../img/site-assets/fdr-prod-docs-files-public.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/elevenlabs.docs.buildwithfern.com/1e7c851096776b9b8cb39cc95b54d394cc02ec7e4771d13958a259accf0ad757/assets/images/conversational-ai/pd-agents-bb1k6d.webp" alt="Add a pronunciation dictionary from the agent's voice settings">

#### Update via the CLI

#### Pull the agent configuration

```bash
elevenlabs agents pull --agent "<agent-name>"
```

#### Edit \`agent\_configs/\<agent-name>.json\`

Set `conversation_config.tts.pronunciation_dictionary_locators`:

```json
{
  "conversation_config": {
    "tts": {
      "pronunciation_dictionary_locators": [
        {
          "pronunciation_dictionary_id": "<dictionary-id>",
          "version_id": "<version-id>"
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}
```

#### Push your changes

```bash
elevenlabs agents push --agent "<agent-name>"
```

#### Update via the API

```python
from elevenlabs import ElevenLabs

elevenlabs = ElevenLabs()

elevenlabs.conversational_ai.agents.update(
    agent_id="agent_7101k5zvyjhmfg983brhmhkd98n6",
    conversation_config={
        "tts": {
            "pronunciation_dictionary_locators": [
                {
                    "pronunciation_dictionary_id": "<dictionary-id>",
                    "version_id": "<version-id>",
                }
            ]
        },
    },
)
```

```typescript
import { ElevenLabsClient } from "@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js";

const elevenlabs = new ElevenLabsClient();

await elevenlabs.conversationalAi.agents.update("agent_7101k5zvyjhmfg983brhmhkd98n6", {
  conversationConfig: {
    tts: {
      pronunciationDictionaryLocators: [
        {
          pronunciationDictionaryId: "<dictionary-id>",
          versionId: "<version-id>",
        },
      ],
    },
  },
});
```

## Dictionary file format

Pronunciation dictionaries use XML-based `.pls` files. Here's an example structure:

```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<lexicon version="1.0"
      xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/01/pronunciation-lexicon"
      xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
      xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.w3.org/2005/01/pronunciation-lexicon
        http://www.w3.org/TR/2007/CR-pronunciation-lexicon-20071212/pls.xsd"
      alphabet="ipa" xml:lang="en-GB">
  <lexeme>
    <grapheme>Apple</grapheme>
    <phoneme>ˈæpl̩</phoneme>
  </lexeme>
  <lexeme>
    <grapheme>UN</grapheme>
    <alias>United Nations</alias>
  </lexeme>
</lexicon>
```

## Supported formats

Pronunciation dictionaries support two types of pronunciation notation:

1. **IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet)**

   - More precise control over pronunciation
   - Requires knowledge of IPA symbols
   - Example: "nginx" as `/ˈɛndʒɪnˈɛks/`

2. **CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) Dictionary format**
   - Simpler ASCII-based format
   - More accessible for English pronunciations
   - Example: "tomato" as "T AH M EY T OW"

:::callout{intent="tip"}
You can use AI tools like Claude or ChatGPT to help generate IPA or CMU notations for specific
words.
:::

## Best practices

1. **Case sensitivity**: Create separate entries for capitalized and lowercase versions of words if needed
2. **Testing**: Always test pronunciations with your chosen voice and model
3. **Maintenance**: Keep your dictionary organized and documented
4. **Scope**: Focus on words that are frequently mispronounced or critical to your use case

## FAQ

#### Which models support phoneme-based pronunciation?

Pronunciation dictionary phoneme tags only work with eleven\_v4, eleven\_flash\_v2 and eleven\_v3 models.

Other models skip dictionary phoneme tags and use the default pronunciation. For other models,
use alias tags instead to substitute spellings or phrases that produce the pronunciation you
need.

If you want to use IPA and CMU pronunciations in languages other than English, you will have to
switch to the eleven\_v4 or eleven\_v3 model.

#### Can I use multiple dictionaries?

Yes, you can upload multiple dictionary files to handle different sets of pronunciations.

#### What happens if a word isn't in the dictionary?

The model will use its default pronunciation rules for any words not specified in the
dictionary.

## Additional resources

- [Professional Voice Cloning](/guides/elevencreative-voices-voice-cloning-professional-voice-cloning)
- [Voice Design](/guides/elevencreative-voices-voice-design)
- [Text to Speech API Reference](/guides/changelog-api-reference-text-to-dialogue-convert)

## Related pages

- [Administration](./administration-index.md)
- [API reference](./api-reference-index.md)
- [Changelog](./changelog-index.md)
- [ElevenAgents](./elevenagents-index.md)
- [ElevenAPI](./elevenapi-index.md)
- [ElevenCreative](./elevencreative-index.md)
- [ElevenLabs Documentation Docs](../index.md)
- [General Troubleshooting FAQ](./troubleshooting-index.md)
- [General Website FAQ](./website-index.md)
- [Help Center](./help-center-2-index.md)

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