say

Convert text to audible speech

TLDR

Speak text aloud

$ say "[Hello, world]"

Speak with a specific voice

$ say -v [Alex] "[Hello]"

List all available voices

$ say -v "?"

Speak text from a file

$ say -f [input.txt]

Save speech to an audio file

$ say -o [output.aiff] "[Hello, world]"

Speak at a specific rate (words per minute)

$ say -r [200] "[Speaking faster now]"

Speak to a specific audio device

$ say -a "[Built-in Output]" "[Hello]"

Highlight words interactively as they are spoken

$ say -i "[Hello, this highlights each word]"

Save speech as a WAVE file

$ say --file-format=WAVE -o [output.wav] "[Hello, world]"

SYNOPSIS

say [-v voice] [-r rate] [-o outfile] [-f infile] [-a device] [text...]

say converts text to audible speech using the macOS Speech Synthesis manager. It speaks text provided as arguments, from a file, or from standard input, either through audio output or saved to a file.Multiple voices are available with different accents, languages, and personalities. The default voice and speech settings can be configured in System Settings under Accessibility > Spoken Content.Output can be saved to AIFF, WAVE, m4af, or caff audio formats for later playback or processing.

PARAMETERS

-v voice

Use the specified voice instead of the system default. Use '?' to list all available voices.

-r rate

Speech rate in words per minute.

-f file

Read text from the specified file. Use '-' for standard input.

-o file

Save speech to an audio file (AIFF by default; format depends on --file-format).

-a device

Specify audio output device by ID or name prefix. Use '?' to list devices.

-n name:port

Redirect speech output through AUNetSend to a remote audio server.

-i, --interactive

Print text line by line during synthesis, highlighting words as they are spoken.

--progress

Display progress during synthesis: percentage done, elapsed time, and bytes.

--file-format FORMAT

Output file format: AIFF, caff, m4af, or WAVE.

--data-format FORMAT

Audio data format (e.g., aac, alac, LEI16).

--bit-rate RATE

Bit rate for compressed formats like AAC. Use '?' to list valid rates.

--quality LEVEL

Audio converter quality level between 0 (lowest) and 127 (highest).

--channels N

Number of output audio channels.

CAVEATS

Direct MP3 output is not supported; use --file-format for AIFF, WAVE, caff, or m4af, then convert if needed. Voice availability depends on what is installed in macOS; additional voices can be downloaded from System Settings.

HISTORY

say has been included in macOS since the early days of Mac OS X, building on Apple's text-to-speech technology that dates back to the 1980s with MacinTalk. The command provides terminal access to the same speech synthesis used throughout the operating system.

say