iOS 7's Siri Can Learn How to Pronounce Names

Shortly before today's iOS 7 Beta 2 was released, one of 9to5Mac's readers found that iOS 7's Siri has the ability to correct pronunciations for names.

siripronunciationImage via 9to5Mac

Previously, getting Siri to properly pronounce names required a user to edit the "phonetic name" for a contact and manually adjust the spelling until Siri pronounced the name the correct way. Now, as 9to5Mac notes, a user can simply say "pronounce [insert name here]" to put Siri through a simpler name pronunciation learning process.

Within that process, Siri will ask the user to pronounce the name and then present a couple of pronunciations based on how it heard the user. The user is then prompted to select a pronunciation, which Siri will from then on attempt to use when saying the name in question.

While the feature was in iOS 7 Beta 1, it's unknown at this point whether there have been improvements in the recently released Beta 2.

Related Forum: iOS 7

Top Rated Comments

BillyBobBongo Avatar
141 months ago
Previously, getting Siri to properly pronounce names required a user to edit the "phonetic name" for a contact and manually adjust the spelling until Siri pronounced the name the correct way. Now, as 9to5Mac notes, a user can simply say "pronounce [insert name here]" to put Siri through a simpler name pronunciation learning process.
You can do this in IOS6 too...
Sometimes it helps to read the article.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Gasu E. Avatar
141 months ago
Yes..

Siri has been learning a lot lately.. but she tends to mumble and sometimes she says off the wall things that don't make since.

Image (https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/995045_4324477810309_2011489989_n.jpg)

Oh, the irony!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
caligomez Avatar
141 months ago
What Siri desperately needs is a way to differentiate one language from another without having to strictly accept one at a time. There are many bilingual countries (and users) that have have to constantly use different language words in the same sentence.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
negativzero Avatar
141 months ago
Siri totally fails at Asian names. This is going to be real useful when I go handsfree.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alia Avatar
141 months ago
This is great news! One reason Siri irks me is that she can't pronounce my name at all, and it grates.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
141 months ago
Right...

I live in Taiwan, trust me, 王 is 王.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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