how to do speech to text tiktok

You are here: Influencer Marketing Hub » Social Media » How to Do Text-to-Speech on TikTok (+ 10 World-Class Examples)

How to Do Text-to-Speech on TikTok (+ 10 World-Class Examples)

If you’ve scrolled through TikTok before, you may have noticed the automated voice that sometimes accompanies captions. This feature is called text-to-speech, and it’s a great way to add some additional context to your videos, use a voiceover if you’re not comfortable narrating yourself, and more.

If you’re looking for new TikTok video ideas , incorporating text-to-speech into some of your content may be the perfect addition to your strategy.

Throughout this article, we’ll walk you through exactly how to add text-to-speech to your TikTok videos, then share 10 incredible examples that you can easily draw from for your own content.

How to Do Text-to-Speech on TikTok:

What is text-to-speech on tiktok, how to do text-to-speech on tiktok, 10 world-class examples of text-to-speech on tiktok, frequently asked questions.

Text-to-speech is an accessibility feature that allows TikTok creators to add an automated voice to read off written-out captions. Not only does it allow users with vision impairments to join in on the fun, but it can also add a new edge to your video content.

Here’s an example of a TikTok video using the text-to-speech function:

@yeti We spent the day smoking poblano sausages with Ambassador Andrew Muñoz from Moo's Craft Barbecue in Los Angeles, CA. #YETI #BuiltForTheWild #BBQ #barbecue #LosAngeles #California #Sausage #bbqtiktok ♬ original sound - YETI

The initial introduction to the video is typed out in a caption, then read out by one of the voice options. However, there’s no other talking, just a song playing over the film. It lets the actual video content stand out more, while still providing some sort of explanation.

There are many ways to utilize text-to-speech on TikTok, but first, let’s cover exactly how to access this feature.

Check out the Top 10 Speech To Text Software Solutions for 2024

If you’re ready to add your own text-to-speech to your TikTok video, follow along with this quick step-by-step:

Record or upload your TikTok video.
Tap the Text option in the right hand editing menu, then type out your caption. Then tap Done .
Tap on your text, then select Text-to-speech .
Browse through all of the voice options to choose the voice that you think fits best, then tap Done .
If you’ve created multiple text bubbles that you want to add a voice, tap the Apply voice to all text in this video option.
To change the voice, tap your text again, then tap Change voice .

It’s an extremely simple process—just make sure you’ve proofread your captions, chosen the best voice, and you’re done!

Curious how you might want to use this feature? We’ve got ten great examples that showcase how brands just like yours are already taking advantage of TikTok text-to-speech.

1. Duolingo

Language app Duolingo is famous on TikTok, creating funny videos that star their owl mascot Duo. In fact, they’re notorious for some of the wild content they’ve posted on the micro-video app.

They’ve also recently launched a Duolingo-sponsored Roblox game. Roblox is an online gaming platform that also allows users to create their own games. Duolingo worked with a Roblox game creator in order to make their own online game, bringing even more brand awareness to the app.

To promote their new game, they published a funny video on TikTok with a mini tour:

@duolingo playing my roblox games #duolingo #comedy #trend #dualipa #dulapeep #gaming #roblox #spanishorvanish #metaverse ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

However, they decided to utilize the text-to-speech feature to narrate as they did a mini game walkthrough—and the narration is anything but serious. This use of text-to-speech is incredibly on brand for them, but it’s also extremely entertaining.

Consider how you can utilize this feature to add some humor or comedic relief to your TikTok videos.

2. Starbucks

Starbucks is a world-renowned coffee shop that probably didn’t need an introduction, but here you have one anyways. They share a mixture of content on their TikTok, from menu changes to humorous videos to user-generated content.

They more often than not have people in their videos doing the talking, but they’ve also utilized the text-to-speech feature in a handful of videos as a great way to introduce what the video is about.

For example, take a look at this video, where two women are making Starbucks cup-inspired tie-dye shirts:

@starbucks Your new summer sidekick just dropped. ☀️ Cups available at participating stores in the US and Canada while supplies last. #Starbucks #TieDyeTutorial #Tumblers ♬ original sound - Starbucks

There is music throughout the video, but the only two bits of text are at the beginning, introducing what the video is about, and at the end to close it off. It’s simple and effective, especially if you don’t want to do the voiceover yourself.

3. The Sill

The Sill is an online plant shop with retail stores in major cities like New York and Los Angeles. They sell educational content about plant care as well as humorous videos that plant parents can easily relate to.

This video below is a great example of their funny, relatable content (at least to those of us who love plants):

@thesill Relatable am I right? #thesill #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantlover #payday ♬ Joel Beam-JP - Carlton Banksy

It’s a quick 10-second video where the text-to-speech part is the star of the show, and the person in the video is simply reacting to the words.

This goes to show that your text-to-speech videos don’t always have to be something in-depth. Find something funny to have it say, then have your video on in the background to add some more to it.

The Incredible Rise of TikTok – [TikTok Growth Visualization...
The Ultimate TikTok Influencer Marketing Guide for 2024
Tools to Build Your TikTok Likes and Followers
How to Customize TikTok Fonts (+6 Free TikTok Font Generators)

4. The Positive Piece

The Positive Piece is a small business that sells cute puzzles, rather than some of the generic and boring ones we often see in stores. Most of their content centers around showcasing some of their puzzle options and watching puzzle-in-progress shots.

The business owner narrates many of their videos, but they took a chance to utilize the text-to-speech for this video below:

@positivepiecepuzzles Out with the old, in with the new #jigsawpuzzles #puzzletok #puzzles #midnfulness #mindfulnesstips #giftideas #mentalhealth #art #selfcare ♬ original sound - Cav’s Content

In this video, they’re using text-to-speech for a basic introduction, before leading into the music and showing the puzzle get completed. This is a great way to use this feature, especially if you’re really just wanting the video itself to steal the show.

5. Lulu’s

Lulu’s is an online clothing boutique that shares a lot of content with outfit ideas, seasonal clothing to buy, and other similar videos. They almost exclusively use music-only audio, with rare voiceovers or talking sound bytes.

However, they decided to hop on a trend, incorporating text-to-speech in the following video:

@lulufashionph Long wait is over, these top selling affordable P189 trousers are restocked! Checkout now while stocks last! #TikTokShopFashiON #fypシ #foryoupage #tiktokshop #manila ♬ Ive nightcore - tanked

Many people have done videos with the “What I ordered versus what I got” theme or sound byte, showcasing what the product photo looks like compared to a completely different (and often cheap or unusable) product they actually received.

However, Lulu’s decided to take advantage of this by sharing a user-generated video that showcases the actual product looking identical to the product photo (as it should). The text-to-speech is only used for that iconic line, then it leads into a song for the rest of the video.

Sephora is a popular makeup company with retail stores all over the world, as well as the option to buy from their website online. They share product information, makeup and skincare tips, makeup looks, and more on their TikTok feed.

They take turns between having someone on camera, having a voiceover narrate, or using the text-to-speech. Here’s an example of how they decided to take advantage of text-to-speech:

@sephora The best fragrances are here! Check out our top scents to live in. ♬ original sound - sephora

This feature is great for basic narrations, so using it to show off the top fragrances in the store is a simple but clever strategy.

7. Linda Tong Planners

Linda Tong Planners is a small planner business that has blown up thanks to TikTok. The business owner shares order packaging videos, planner layouts, online planners that work well with her physical planners, and more.

She often narrates her own videos, but she decided to use the text-to-speech option in this video below:

@lindatongplanners Interactive elements so your planner isn't BORING af #plannertiktok #plannertok #planner #bulletjournal #cats #plannercommunity ♬ Music For a Sushi Restaurant - Harry Styles

POV stands for point-of-view, and is a popular video trend. But one great part of using the text-to-speech for this copy is that the automated voice mispronounces “POV,” saying it instead as a word rather than an initialism.

This provides a fun bit of comedic relief, and you’ll often see people use the text-to-speech feature to see how it pronounces various words, acronyms, and initialisms.

Nike is one of the most well-known running shoe and athletic wear stores in the world, so it’s no surprise that they’ve put together a great presence on TikTok. They often share videos of professional athletes or clips from sports games. However, they also rope pro athletes in to film content for them as well.

Here’s a great example of that below:

@nike Who’s getting the W? ? #basketballtalk #nikenationals ♬ FEEL THE GROOVE - Queens Road, Fabian Graetz

In this video, they did a mixture of text-to-speech narration and letting the people in the video talk. This is a great way to provide some context for the video while still letting those being recorded make the bigger impact.

At Home is a home decor superstore that is easy to get lost inside. They share lots of videos of the products they’re selling in store as well as some humorous videos about throw pillows and other popular home decor items.

They used the text-to-speech feature in this creative video:

@athomestores Put a hand in the chat if this was a little TOO relatable ✋? #athomestores #athomestorefinds #fyp #fypage #foryou ♬ Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) - Edison Lighthouse

They chose to use text-to-speech rather than any other voiceover narration to share what different wall art means for the person who would buy it and place it in their home—though a bit facetiously.

This type of video is a great way to promote your products but also have some fun with it and entertain your audience.

10. Flaire & Co.

Flaire & Co. is a small jewelry business that shares affordable but high-quality jewelry. Their TikTok feed focuses both on sharing product clips as well as the business owner answering questions and sharing information about the business.

This video was made in response to a comment on a previous video:

@flaire.accessories Reply to @maddy_rodabough Good quality jewelry doesn’t have to be expensive!! #affordablejewelry #jewelryhaul #goldjewelry ♬ original sound - Flaire & Co.

They used text-to-speech as the narration throughout the video while also showing off the quality of the jewelry. Since this business owner often has videos with her voice, this is a great way to break up the feed with a different voice.

Create Your Own TikToks With Text-to-Speech

Start ramping up your TikTok strategy by incorporating videos that use the text-to-speech feature.

Learn even more about growing your TikTok following and selling products using TikTok shopping . TikTok can be a gamechanger for your brand if you get creative enough.

Where is the text-to-speech feature?

The text-to-speech feature can be accessed after using the Type tool to type out a caption or message. Once you’ve input your text, tap on it again to access “Text-to-speech” option.

Why use text-to-speech on TikTok?

Using text-to-speech can be a great way to add voiceover or narrative if you don’t want to use your actual voice. It can also add some comedic relief to your content. Plus, it makes sure that someone who may not be able to read the captions can still understand the content.

How do I add narration to TikTok?

You can add narration to a TikTok video in one of two ways: using text-to-speech (which we’ve outlined here) or by adding a voiceover. If you tap the down arrow in the sidebar menu with options for editing your video then scroll down, you’ll be able to access the voiceover option where you can record your own narration.

How do I change the voice in text-to-speech on TikTok?

Once you tap the “Text-to-speech” option on your text, a menu will pop up with a number of different voice options (and even singing or musical options) for your text-to-speech copy.

Why did the text-to-speech voice in TikTok change?

TikTok had previously used voice actor Beverly Standing’s voice without her permission. After she sued them, they changed one of the North American voice options to one they had permission to use.

Youtube Marketing Report 2024

The digital world mourns the passing of Susan Wojcicki, the visionary leader who...

The 5 Hottest Core Aesthetic Trends and What They Mean for Brands

Remember the Indie Sleaze, Gorpcore, and Clean Girl aesthetics that took 2023 by storm...

Search results for

Affiliate links on Android Authority may earn us a commission. Learn more.

How to use text to speech on TikTok

Published on January 24, 2024

If you’ve been watching enough TikToks, you’ve undoubtedly seen videos where a cheerful AI voice reads its text to you. It’s a actually helpful accessibility feature for people with visual impairments, meant to let them watch TikToks without struggling with reading. Here’s how to use text-to-speech on TikTok and choose which speech bot you want to narrate your videos.

QUICK ANSWER

To use text-to-speech on TikTok, tap on Text while editing your video and type your caption, and then tap the Text-to-speech icon. For more voices option on CapCut, select Create , tap on Text , tap on Add text , select Text to speech , tap on English , and export the video.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

How to do text-to-speech on Tiktok
How to use CapCut for more text-to speech voices

How to do text-to-speech

To implement text-to-speech on your next TikTok, record or upload a video as usual until you arrive at the editing stage.

Select the “ Aa ” icon to add text to your video.
Type in the message you want the AI to read aloud, tap on the text, and then select Text-to-speech option.
Tap on a checkmark to post on TikTok.

Currently, only a female voice is available for text-to-speech on TikTok, but no worries. Here is how you can add more text-to-speech voices to your video by using CapCut.

How to use CapCut for more text-to-speech voices

There are planty of free text-to-speech voices available on Capcut. Before adding more voices, ensure that you have the app on your phone or visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lemon.lvoverseas&hl=en&gl=US to download and sign in to the app.

On Capcut, tap on Create and choose the video that you want.
Select Text with the T icon.
Tap on Add text with A+ icon and type your text.

Select Text to speech option.
In Select Voice, tap on English feature and choose the voice that you like.
Tap on the export icon on the top right of your screen and select Share to TikTok .

Since TikTok and CapCut are owned by ByteDance, users are encoraged to use CapCut for more editing features. According to a report from Time Magazine, ByteDance has promoted CapCut on TikTok with the statement, “Everyone can be a creator by using CapCut. Start creating your cool video today.”

There is only a female voice available on TikTok but you can use Capcut to add more voices for free

In May 2021, TikTok changed the default voice in North America. The original voice actor, Beverly Standing, sued ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, for using her voice without permission.

Ensure that you have the latest version of the TikTok app installed. Older versions don’t have all the text-to-speech features.

Setapp stops service in Russia and Belarus

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was aided by Belarus, we terminate Setapp’s services in Russia and Belarus.

Our team is based in Ukraine and we see the atrocities of this war with our own eyes. If you seek truth, check these trustworthy sources .

Team Setapp

Everything You Need to Know About TikTok's Text-to-Speech Feature

Your changes have been saved

Email is sent

Email has already been sent

Please verify your email address.

You’ve reached your account maximum for followed topics.

Why I Never Accept Facebook Friend Requests From Strangers

Why i won’t downgrade from windows 11 to windows 10, this chatgpt feature helps me get personalized results for every query.

After spending hours and hours scrolling through TikTok, and enjoying anything from amazing dance routines and elaborate skits to life hacks, you may get the urge to post your first TikTok video.

Now that you’re seriously considering your path as a TikTok creator, why not get familiar with the newest trends? We’d like to introduce you to a fun and useful feature the app has to offer: Text-to-Speech.

What is the TikTok Text-to-Speech Option?

We’ll start with a short explanation about the feature. Simply put, TikTok Text-to-Speech allows you to turn any piece of text you put on top of your video into a Siri-sounding voice. This means that anything you type will be read out loud in a robotic tone, without the need for you to narrate.

There are several reasons you might choose to use this option. First, it’s a great alternative for people who don’t want to or can't use their own voice in videos. Maybe you're shy or you just want to keep an air of anonymity. Or you may have a speech impediment, or communicate non-verbally or non-vocally. Either way, this feature offers you an alternative way to narrative to viewers.

Read more: TikTok Adds Automatic Captions in Bid to Improve Accessibility

But there are also several benefits this feature provides to your audience. Some of them might struggle to read, may have poor eye-sight, or are blind. Using Text-to-Speech will ensure that they can still interact with your content.

Making your videos more accessible means you’ll get more engagement, which is a win-win situation. Finally, many TikTokers use the Text-to-Speech option for dramatic or comedic effects.

When you use someone else’s voice to add narration, you can create a whole new character, which reacts to what’s happening on screen. In many situations, the robotic tone, and the way it reads the words out, just slightly wrong, can make the video a roaring success.

There is an entire trend on TikTok that revolves around this robotic voice acting out group text conversations between friends. The possibilities to get creative with this effect are endless.

How to Use TikTok Text-to-Speech

If we’ve sold you on this feature and you’re ready to put it to use, you’d be happy to hear that it’s quite simple.

To start, launch the app on your phone and follow these steps:

Press the + button at the bottom of the screen to create a new video.
Record a video as you normally would.
Press the red tick once you’re finished.
On the next screen, press the Text button at the bottom and type in the text you want to be read out loud. Make sure that the text is not too long. If it takes more time to say it than the length of your video, it will be cut in the middle.
Drag the text box to where you want it to appear on the screen.
To turn the Text-to-Speech option on, tap on the text box and choose it from the pop-up menu.

That’s it, your video now has a robot voice talking over it. You can add the feature several times in the same video, with different text boxes.

In addition, you can follow this step-by-step guide on how to add text to a TikTok video to discover other options that are available for text. For instance, you can change the fonts, designs, and duration, to make it appear over just one specific portion of the video.

If you want to remove the original sound from the recording so that the Siri narration is the only thing left, tap the Sound button at the bottom left. Then tap Volume .

You can set the original volume to anything between 100% to 0%. You can also choose to add a popular sound from the TikTok library in the Added Sound screen, to help your video perform better.

Why Your Text-to-Speech Voice Is Either Male or Female

Perhaps you already noticed that when you use the Text-to-Speech feature you get a voice that is different from what you’ve seen in other videos. There are two voices available—a male one and a female one. Unfortunately, we don’t get to pick the one we like better.

The theory is that the voice you get is determined by your geography. So if you live in the US, you get a female voice, and if you live in UK or Europe, you get a male one. We’re not quite sure what’s happening in other parts of the world.

Related: How to Duet on TikTok (and Why You Should)

If you are not that happy with the voice that’s in your region, the only way to change it is with third-party tools. Some creators suggest that you record the video with the automatic voice, then export it to an editing app with a voice modifier, such as Voicemod Clip .

Other TikTokers propose that you initially record the video without the voice. Then, you can type the text in a text-to-speech website, such as TTSMP3.com .

After you download the MP3 for the text-to-speech, you need to add it to your video in editing software and upload the new file to TikTok to add the text in the correct places.

These suggestions are time-consuming and not that easy, so if you don’t care that much about the voice, we suggest you just stick to what you get through the app. However, it’s always nice to have options.

The Text-to-Speech Feature Is Just the Tip Of the Iceberg

If you like this feature and the trends that grew thanks to it, you’d probably like to explore other TikTok phenomena.

Luckily, the app has so much more to offer, from filters and effects to a variety of challenges.

Social Media
Online Video

Here’s How To Do Text-To-Speech On TikTok

Storytime in comments.

A woman creates a video using the text to speech feature on TikTok.

TikTok has become a rising platform for creators to share their voices online. But few voices on TikTok are as recognizable as its default text-to-speech bot known as “Jessie.” Having debuted in May 2021 as a revamp on the prior default voice, Jessie has become the official narrator of countless viral videos. If you’ve been noticing her peppy candor on videos, or the voices of her fellow preset text-to-speech bots Joey, Eddie, Chris, Alex, and Scream, you might be wondering how to use the TikTok text-to-speech feature.

One of the greatest benefits of TikTok’s text-to-speech is that it enhances the accessibility of the app for people with visual impairments , so that they can watch TikToks without needing to read any text on the screen. It has already become somewhat standard for creators to provide closed captioning on their videos for deaf, Deaf, or hard of hearing users, which has since been facilitated by TikTok’s auto-captioning feature. So, using text-to-speech can go hand-in-hand with using closed captions, by simply turning on the text-to-speech feature when you offer closed captions on a video. It’s an easy way of making TikTok an easier place for everyone to enjoy.

If you’ve been wanting to implement the feature on your own videos, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use TikTok’s text-to-speech feature.

How To Use TikTok’s Text-to-Speech Feature

To use text-to-speech on your next TikTok video, shoot the TikTok as you normally would on the app by hitting the plus sign in the middle of your bottom tab on the app. Choose between 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 3 minutes as your time limit on the video, then shoot the video as you normally would. Once you’re done, click the red check mark in the bottom right of your screen to edit your footage.

Next, add whatever text you’re planning to use on your TikTok. To do this, click the “Aa” icon on the bottom of your screen, and type whatever message you wish. You can also format the appearance of your text, where it will appear on the screen, and at what point of the video it will appear with “Set duration.” (While you can add closed captions manually or automatically on TikTok, it’s not ideal to add text-to-speech to any captions that you’re already saying out loud in the video - as the text-to-speech voice will just talk over yours.)

Once you have your text written out, you can add text-to-speech in one of two ways. While you’re still editing your text, you can select text-to-speech with the third icon from the left that looks like a talking head. If you’ve already added your text to the video, you can choose to add text-to-speech by clicking on the text and selecting the talking head icon.

From here, you’ll be prompted to choose from TikTok’s preset selection of voices. Jessie is the default voice with an American accent, and Joey and Alex also speak in American accents. Eddie and Chris speak in Australian accents, and Scream speaks like Ghostface from Scream . Choose your favorite voice, and, voila. Your text will be immediately read by the TikTok text-to-speech bot. (Though, there’s no guarantee that the bot will know how to pronounce all of your text — as TikTokers have found with some hilarious faux pas .)

How to use TikTok’s Text-to-Speech feature

It’s just as fun to see what words it can’t pronounce

By Kaitlin Hatton , audience manager with over five years of experience in media, with a focus on e-commerce, social media, and SEO.

Share this story

TikTok’s Text-to-Speech is both a great accessibility feature for people with visual and reading impairments and a tool to create enjoyable content. While Text-to-Speech is available on devices like tablets or phones via the operating system, it’s relatively forward-thinking for a social app like TikTok to make it available within the app. Other platforms like Twitter and Facebook don’t make use of this feature. Instagram does auto-caption stories but only if someone is already speaking in the video.

The feature doesn’t come without controversy, however. TikTok changed the original voice after the actor filed a lawsuit claiming she had never agreed to be featured in the app. The new voice is less of a monotone than the original and seems to be just as popular. Creators use it to narrate their videos, as an accessibility tool, and to have a little fun by seeing what words the bot can (or cannot) pronounce.

If this is something you’re interested in, here’s how to set it up:

Record your video.
When you’ve finished recording, press the Text button at the bottom of the screen.
Type what you want to say and press elsewhere on the screen to finish the text.
Press and hold the text you just typed out.
Select “Text-to-Speech.”

Here’s an example of what TikTok’s Text-to-Speech feature sounds like:

The Verge on TikTok /

Join us for TikToks about the future of technology and science

The great Evernote reboot

Apple airpods 4 review: defying expectations, the best android phone to buy in 2023, ios 18 is a smart upgrade, even without the ai, amazon is making its employees come back to the office five days a week.

TikTok news

How to do text-to-speech on TikTok and have words read aloud in your videos

You can use the text-to-speech voice on TikTok by giving your video text, tapping on the text, and selecting "Text-to-speech."
The text still has to appear in the TikTok at some point, but you can shrink and move it so it's out of the way.
You can't exactly control how TikTok's text-to-speech voice sounds, but you can use punctuation to change it.

TikTok's text-to-speech voice is one of the platform's biggest stars. It appears in popular videos all over the app, and when TikTok introduced a new voice earlier this year, users were furious at the change .

If you want to use text-to-speech on TikTok, all you have to do is record a video. There are no extra downloads required.

How to do text-to-speech on TikTok

1. Open TikTok and record a video. It can be any length, and include anything you like.

2. When you're done recording, head to the editing screen and tap Text at the bottom.

3. Type out your text in any color or style, and then tap Done in the top-right.

4. Tap the text you've written out, and then select Text-to-speech .

Your text will be processed, and then be read aloud. If you're happy with it, just save the video and post like normal. You can also try adding punctuation to the text (periods, ellipses, etc.) to see how it changes the voice's inflection.

By default, your text will appear throughout the entire video, and the text-to-speech voice will appear right at the start. If you'd like to change this, tap the text again and select Set duration to choose when you'd like the text — and text-to-speech voice — to appear in your video.

Main content

Do you restrict access to the service and platform for any specific countries?

Updated September 06, 2024 16:49

We are required to restrict access from the following countries:

North Korea
The Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk regions of Ukraine

If you are connecting from one of these sanctioned countries, your access to our service will be blocked. If you believe you have been incorrectly blocked, you can contact us via https://help.elevenlabs.io/hc/en-us/requests/new .