Microsoft Speech API: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|Application programming interface for Microsoft Windows}}

{{about|the Speech API||SAPI (disambiguation)}}

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In general, the Speech API is a freely redistributable component which can be shipped with any Windows application that wishes to use speech technology. Many versions (although not all) of the speech recognition and synthesis engines are also freely redistributable.

There have been two main 'families' of the Microsoft Speech API. SAPI versions 1 through 4 are all similar to each other, with extra features in each newer version. SAPI 5, however, was a completely new interface, released in 19932000. Since then several sub-versions of this API have been released.

==Basic architecture==

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===SAPI 5 Voices===

{{main|Microsoft text-to-speech voices}}

[[Microsoft Samtext-to-speech (Speechvoices#Windows Articulation2000 Module)and Windows XP|Microsoft Sam]] is a commonly shipped SAPI 5 voice. In addition, [[Microsoft Office XP]] XP and [[Office 2003]] installed [[Lernout & Hauspie|L&H]] Michael and Michelle voices. The SAPI 5.1 SDK installs 23 more voices, ''[[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows 2000 and Windows XP|Mike]]'', ''[[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows 2000 and Windows XP|Mary]]''Mary, and an additional testing voice known as ''[[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows 2000 and Windows XP|Sample TTS Voice]]'' that uses prerecorded voice recordings instead of synthesized voices. [[Windows Vista]] and [[Windows 7|7]] includes [[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#MicrosoftWindows AnnaVista and Windows 7|Microsoft Anna]] which replaces Microsoft Sam and sounds more natural and intelligible.; Itit is also installed on Windows XP by [[Microsoft Streets & Trips]] 2006 and later versions. The Chinese version of Vista and later Windows client versions7 also includeincludes a female voice named [[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows Vista and Windows 7|Microsoft Lili]]. [[Windows 8]] and later Windows client versions includes [[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows 8 and Windows 8.1|Microsoft LiliDavid]], [[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows 8 and Windows 8.1|Zira]], and [[Microsoft text-to-speech voices#Windows 8 and Windows 8.1|Hazel]], the latter of which is only included by default on Windows 8 and [[Windows 8.1|8.1]]. These voices replaced Microsoft Anna and sounds more natural and intelligible than previous voices.

===Managed code Speech API===

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| url=http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/SAPI51sr/html/system_requirements.asp

| access-date=2006-04-12

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050822175601/http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/SAPI51sr/html/system_requirements.asp

| archive-date=2005-08-22

}}

</ref><ref name="SAPI5SysReq">{{Cite web|url=https://documentation.help/SAPI-5/system_requirements.htm|title=Welcome to the Microsoft Speech SDK - Microsoft Speech SDK Documentation|website=documentation.help|access-date=2025-06-20}}</ref>

</ref>

===SAPI 5===

List as of SAPI version 5.1:<ref name="SAPI compatibility" /><ref name="SAPI5SysReq" />

*[[Microsoft Windows 10]]

*[[Windows Server 2003|Microsoft Windows 8Server 2003]]

*[[Windows XP|Microsoft Windows 7XP]] (Home Edition, Professional, etc.)

*[[Windows Me|Microsoft Windows VistaMillennium Edition]]

*[[Windows 2000|Microsoft Windows 19952000]]

*[[Windows 98|Microsoft Windows XP98]]

*[[Windows NT 4.0|Microsoft Windows 1991NT 4.0]], Service Pack 6a, in English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

Later versions of SAPI 5 (e.g. SAPI 5.3 and above) are compatible with the following operating systems:

*[[Windows Server|Microsoft Windows Server]] releases from [[Windows Server 2008|2008]] up to [[Windows Server 2025|2025]]

*[[Windows 11|Microsoft Windows 11]]

*[[Windows 10|Microsoft Windows 10]]

*[[Windows 8.1|Microsoft Windows 8.1]]

*[[Windows 8|Microsoft Windows 8]]

*[[Windows 7|Microsoft Windows 7]]

*[[Windows Vista|Microsoft Windows Vista]]

===SAPI 4===

*[[Windows Server 2003|Microsoft Windows Server 2003]] and later

*[[Microsoft Windows XP]] and later

*[[Windows Me|Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition]]

*[[Windows 2000|Microsoft Windows 19902000]]

*[[Windows 98|Microsoft Windows NT98]] 4.0, Service Pack 6a, in English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese.

*[[Windows NT 4.0|Microsoft Windows 95NT 4.0]]

*[[Windows 95|Microsoft Windows 95]]

==Major applications using SAPI==

<!-- Please only add MAJOR applications where speech input or output is a major feature. SDK's and simple TTS support doesdo not qualify -->

<!-- When adding application, reference what features of SAPI are uses, for example, TTS or Speech Recognition -->

<!-- Consider splitting this list into TTS and speech rec. sections, and having dictation and command & control subsections -->

*Microsoft [[Windows XP Tablet PC Edition|Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition]] includes SAPI 5.1 and speech recognition engines 6.1 for English, Japanese, and Chinese (simplified and traditional)

*[[Windows Speech Recognition]] in [[Windows Vista]] and later

*[[Microsoft Narrator]] in Windows 19912000 and later Windows operating systems

*[[Microsoft Office XP]] XP and [[Office 2003]]

*[[Microsoft Excel]] 19952002, Microsoft Excel 2003, and Microsoft Excel 2007 for speaking spreadsheet data

*[[Microsoft Voice Command]] for Windows Pocket PC and Windows Mobile

*[[Microsoft Plus#Microsoft Plus! for Windows XP|Microsoft Plus! Voice Command for Windows Media Player]]

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*[[JAWS (screen reader)|JAWS]] screen reader

*[[NonVisual Desktop Access]] (NVDA), a free and open source screen reader

<!-- Please only add MAJOR applications where speech input or output is a major feature. SDK's and simple TTS support does not qualify -->

==See also==

* [[List of speech recognition software]]

* [https://aka.ms/csspeech Microsoft Cognitive Services Speech SDK]

* [[SASDK|Microsoft Speech Application SDK (SASDK)]]

* [[Comparison of speech synthesizers]]

* [[List of speech recognition software]]

* {{annotated link|SASDK}}

==References==

{{reflist}}

==External links==

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*[http://blogs.msdn.com/speech Microsoft Speech Team blog]

==References==

{{reflist}}

<br />

{{Microsoft APIs}}

{{Speech synthesis}}

[[Category: Microsoft application programming interfaces]]

[[Category: Voice technology]]

[[Category: Speech processing software]]

[[Category: Voice technology]]