Text to Speech in Python

What we are building

A text-to-speech program turns written text into spoken audio — so your program can actually talk. Python has two popular libraries: pyttsx3 (works offline, speaks through your speakers) and gTTS (uses Google online, saves an audio file). Both are easy to use.

pyttsx3 — offline speech

Install it once, then make your program talk:

pip install pyttsx3

import pyttsx3

engine = pyttsx3.init()
engine.say("Hello, welcome to CodingEasily")
engine.runAndWait()

engine.say() queues the text, and engine.runAndWait() actually speaks it. No internet is needed — it plays through your speakers straight away.

Voice and speed

engine = pyttsx3.init()
engine.setProperty("rate", 150)          # speaking speed

voices = engine.getProperty("voices")
engine.setProperty("voice", voices[1].id) # switch voice

engine.say("This is a slower, different voice")
engine.runAndWait()

rate controls speed (lower is slower). getProperty("voices") lists available voices, and you pick one by its id. This lets you customise how the speech sounds.

gTTS — online, save to file

gTTS uses Google's service for a more natural voice and saves an MP3.

pip install gTTS

from gtts import gTTS

tts = gTTS("Hello from CodingEasily")
tts.save("output.mp3")
print("Saved output.mp3")

gTTS(text) creates the speech and save() writes it to an MP3 file you can play or share. It needs the internet because it calls Google's online service.

Which one to use

Use pyttsx3 for offline, instant speech; use gTTS when you want a natural voice or an audio file to keep.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting runAndWait(). In pyttsx3, the program may end before it finishes speaking without it.
• Expecting gTTS to speak directly. gTTS saves a file — you then play it with a media player.
• No internet for gTTS. It fails offline; use pyttsx3 instead.
• Wrong voice index. The number of voices varies by system — check the list first.

Summary

• Text-to-speech turns text into spoken audio.
• pyttsx3 works offline and speaks instantly.
• Change voice and speed with setProperty in pyttsx3.
• gTTS uses Google online and saves an MP3 file.
• Pick pyttsx3 for offline speech, gTTS for a natural voice or a file.

Next, build another fun project like a chatbot, or fetch live data with a weather API.