How to Use See-Say Advanced Regex in Text to Speech

Master See-Say Advanced Mode in Readvox

Readvox's See-Say feature helps you pronounce words correctly by replacing text with phonetic alternatives. The Advanced mode takes this further with powerful matching options including Whole Word, Case Sensitive, and Regex patterns. You can also export, edit, and import your pronunciation rules as CSV files.

How to Activate Advanced Mode

To access Advanced mode in See-Say, look for the toggle button to the left of the search field. This button switches between the regular search view and Advanced mode. Once activated, you'll see additional matching options for each rule.

Once Advanced mode is activated, you'll see the interface transform to show additional matching options for each rule:

Important: Rules created in Advanced mode are persistent. Even if you switch back to regular mode, the advanced rules will continue to work and affect text pronunciation.

What is See-Say Advanced Mode?

Advanced mode provides three key capabilities that give you complete control over text pronunciation:

• Advanced Matching Patterns: Choose precisely how your See-Say rules match text
• CSV Import/Export: Save, edit, and share your pronunciation rules
• Reset Functionality: Quickly restore rules to default settings

Advanced Matching Patterns

Advanced mode offers three powerful matching types, each designed for different use cases. Understanding when and how to use each one will help you create more precise pronunciation rules.

Whole Word Matching

This prevents partial matches that could create unwanted replacements. It's the safest option for most pronunciation rules and should be your default choice.

Example: Set "dr" → "doctor" with Whole Word enabled. This will pronounce "Dr. Smith" as "doctor Smith" but won't affect words like "address" or "children".

Best Practices: Use Whole Word for abbreviations, titles, and common short forms. It's perfect for medical terms ("mg" → "milligrams"), academic titles ("Prof" → "Professor"), and technical abbreviations.

Case Sensitive Matching

Use this when the same letters have different meanings depending on capitalization. This is essential for acronyms and proper nouns that might conflict with common words.

Example: Set "US" → "United States" (case sensitive) and leave "us" unchanged. This way "The US economy" becomes "The United States economy" while "between us" stays natural.

Best Practices: Perfect for country codes ("UK", "US"), organizations ("NATO", "WHO"), and technical terms where case matters. Use sparingly to avoid over-complicating your rules.

Regular Expression (Regex) Matching

The most powerful option for users comfortable with regex patterns. This allows you to match complex patterns and variable text structures.

Example: Use the pattern "\\b\\d{1,2}:\\d{2}\\b" → "time" to replace all time formats like "9:30" or "12:45" with the word "time" for cleaner listening in schedules.

Best Practices: Test your regex patterns thoroughly before implementing. Use online regex testers to verify matches. Common patterns include phone numbers ("\\b\\d3-\\d3-\\d4\\b"), dates, reference numbers, and mathematical expressions. Only use if you're comfortable with regex syntax.

Choosing the Right Matching Type

Start with Whole Word for most cases, use Case Sensitive only when necessary for disambiguation, and reserve Regex for complex patterns that can't be handled with simpler methods.

Testing Your Rules with Try It Out 🎯

Before applying your advanced matching rules to real content, use the built-in "Try It Out" feature to test them. This is especially important for regex expressions and complex matching patterns to ensure they work exactly as expected.

The Try It Out panel lets you enter sample text and immediately see how your pronunciation rules will affect it. This is invaluable for:

• Testing regex patterns before they go live
• Verifying whole word matching works as intended
• Checking case sensitivity rules with different text samples
• Fine-tuning complex pronunciation rules without affecting your actual reading

Always test your advanced rules here first - it'll save you from surprises when reading important content! ✅

CSV Export and Import

Advanced mode allows you to export your See-Say rules as a CSV file for bulk editing and management. This powerful feature enables you to:

• Edit rules in bulk using Google Sheets, Excel, or any spreadsheet application
• Share pronunciation rules with colleagues or students
• Backup and restore your custom pronunciation dictionary
• Create standardized pronunciation rules for organizations
• Migrate rules between different browsers or devices

Critical CSV Format Requirements

When working with exported CSV files, follow these essential guidelines to ensure successful import:

Preserve the format: Keep the exact sequence of columns and string formats as exported. Any changes to the structure may cause import failures.

Empty strings for skip: If you want a rule to skip text (not pronounce it), use an empty string in the "Say" column, not spaces or other characters.

Match type values: The match type column accepts only three specific values: "matchWholeWord", "matchCase", or "regularExpression". Use these exact strings for proper matching behavior.

Reset to Default Settings

Sometimes you need a fresh start. The reset functionality allows you to quickly restore all See-Say rules to their original default settings, clearing any custom rules you've created.

This is particularly useful when:

• Your pronunciation rules have become too complex or conflicting
• You want to start over with a clean slate
• You're troubleshooting pronunciation issues
• You're preparing to import a new set of rules

⚠️Warning: Resetting all rules will permanently delete your custom pronunciation rules and restore them to the default state. If you don't want to lose your created rules, make sure to export them first and save the CSV file somewhere safe so you can restore them later.

Who Benefits from Advanced Mode?

Advanced mode is especially useful for:

• Medical and scientific professionals working with technical terminology
• Language learners who need precise pronunciation control
• Educators managing pronunciation rules for entire classes or institutions
• Content creators who need consistent pronunciation across materials
• Anyone working with specialized jargon or abbreviations

Tips for Using Advanced Mode

• Start simple: Use Whole Word matching for most common pronunciation fixes.
• Use Case Sensitive sparingly: Only when the same letters have different pronunciations.
• Test Regex patterns: Use online regex testers to verify your patterns before adding them.
• Organize with CSV: Export, edit in spreadsheets, and import back for efficient rule management.
• Quick access tip: Pin See-Say to the left side menu in your player panel for instant access while reading! 📌

Getting Started with See-Say Basics

If you're new to See-Say, start with the fundamentals. Our comprehensive guide on how to use See-Say pronunciation in text-to-speech covers the basics and will help you understand the foundation before diving into Advanced mode.

Additional Resources

Explore these related guides to get the most out of your text-to-speech experience:

Enhance Your Reading Experience

Advanced mode works great alongside other Readvox features. Combine it with:

• Selective text reading - Perfect for testing your pronunciation rules on specific passages
• Paragraph-based reading - Start from any point and hear your custom pronunciations in action
• Reading speed control - Adjust tempo to better hear pronunciation differences

Advanced Reading Features

Take your text-to-speech experience further with these powerful features:

• OCR snippet recognition - Extract and read text from images, perfect for documents with technical terms
• PDF reading capabilities - Apply your custom pronunciation rules to PDF documents
• Player panel positioning - Customize your reading interface for optimal workflow

Troubleshooting and Optimization

Need help fine-tuning your setup? These guides can help:

• Reset settings to default - Start fresh if your pronunciation rules become too complex
• Force browser extension updates - Ensure you have the latest Advanced mode features
• Control reading pauses - Fine-tune timing for better pronunciation clarity

Conclusion

Advanced mode in See-Say gives you complete control over text pronunciation with Whole Word, Case Sensitive, and Regex matching. Combined with CSV export/import capabilities, you can efficiently manage complex pronunciation rules for any specialized content. Master these features to get the most accurate text-to-speech experience possible.