Techstravaganza, Wednesday, Dec 3, 2025

Screen reader pronunciation settings on iOS

Siena and Sherry demonstrated how to change pronunciation settings in VoiceOver on iOS devices.

• Details
  • Sherry: Demonstrated accessing the pronunciation settings through Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Speech > Pronunciation
  • Siena: Explained that users can add words that are mispronounced and create phonetic substitutions
  • Siena: Used “Fogarty” as an example, showing how to spell it phonetically as “FOH GGER TY” to get the correct pronunciation
  • Sherry: Showed how to test pronunciations using the play button before saving them
• Conclusion
  • iOS allows users to apply pronunciation changes to specific voices or all voices
  • Changes made on iPhone will sync to iPad and Apple Watch through iCloud
  • The process involves adding the word as spelled correctly, then creating a phonetic substitution

Deleting pronunciations on iOS

Drew (Jeroo) asked about deleting pronunciations, leading to a discussion about the process.

• Details
  • Jeroo: Asked how to delete a pronunciation completely
  • Siena: Explained that with VoiceOver on, users can swipe down with one finger to access the delete option
  • Jeroo: Noted difficulty finding the edit button without VoiceOver
  • Siena: Located the edit button at the bottom of the screen
  • Jeroo: Confirmed that when using the edit button, red circles with minus signs appear next to entries
• Conclusion
  • With VoiceOver: Swipe down on a pronunciation to access the delete option
  • Without VoiceOver: Use the edit button at the bottom of the screen, then tap the red circle with minus sign
  • The placement of the edit button at the bottom makes it difficult to find, especially for users with visual impairments

Pronunciation settings on macOS

Siena demonstrated how to change pronunciation settings in VoiceOver on macOS.

• Details
  • Siena: Showed how to access VoiceOver Utility using Ctrl+Option+F8
  • Siena: Navigated to the Speech category and then the Pronunciation tab
  • Siena: Demonstrated adding a pronunciation by entering the original word and its substitution
  • Palmer: Asked for clarification on the process
• Conclusion
  • Unlike iOS, macOS doesn’t allow setting pronunciations per voice
  • MacOS allows setting pronunciations per application
  • The process involves adding the word and substitution, with no explicit save button needed

Pronunciation settings in JAWS

Siena demonstrated how to change pronunciation settings in the JAWS screen reader.

• Details
  • Siena: Accessed the Dictionary Manager through the JAWS context menu (Insert+J)
  • Siena: Showed how to add a word and its replacement pronunciation
  • Siena: Explained additional options like playing sounds instead of speaking certain words
  • Siena: Demonstrated how to specify language, synthesizer, and voice settings
• Conclusion
  • JAWS offers more granular control than VoiceOver, allowing settings by language, synthesizer, and voice
  • Changes can be saved to the default dictionary or application-specific dictionaries
  • The process is similar to iOS and macOS but with more customization options

Contact the team:

Email

support@techstravaganza.ca

Like us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61578990010675

Follow the Show:

On Tunein

http://tun.in/pxXlj

On Apple Podcasts:

On Audible:

https://www.audible.ca/podcast/Techstravaganza/B0FWTHWQG7?source_code=ASSGB149080119000H&share_location=pdp

On iHeart:

On Spotify

https://spotify.link/vVGru9nKBXb