> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.akapulu.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Phonemes

> The American pronunciation alphabet used for avatar video clip audio.

Phonemes are how a line is pronounced — a string of sound symbols, not English spelling.

[Misaki](https://github.com/hexgrad/misaki) is the grapheme-to-phoneme (G2P) engine we use. If you send English `text`, Misaki converts it to this American English alphabet. Pass `phonemes` yourself when you want tighter control over a word (a name, a stress, a vowel).

<Note>
  Right now you can only edit phonemes for an **American** accent. Other accents and languages are coming soon.
</Note>

How to send `text` vs `phonemes` on a take is in [Workflow](/guides/clips/workflow). Most symbols below follow Misaki’s [`EN_PHONES.md`](https://github.com/hexgrad/misaki/blob/main/EN_PHONES.md). One extra: unstressed *a* / *an* / *am* use `ɐ`, which that table omits but Misaki still emits.

This is not textbook IPA. Capital `A`, `I`, `W`, `Y`, and `O` are diphthongs.

## Stress

| Symbol | Meaning          | Example        |
| ------ | ---------------- | -------------- |
| `ˈ`    | Primary stress   | `yes` → `jˈɛs` |
| `ˌ`    | Secondary stress |                |

## Consonants

| Symbol                                                  | Meaning                          | Example             |
| ------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------- | ------------------- |
| `b` `d` `f` `h` `k` `l` `m` `n` `p` `s` `t` `v` `w` `z` | As in English spelling           |                     |
| `j`                                                     | "y" as in yes                    | `yes` → `jˈɛs`      |
| `ɡ`                                                     | Hard g (`U+0261`, not ASCII `g`) | `get` → `ɡɛt`       |
| `ŋ`                                                     | ng                               | `sung` → `sˈʌŋ`     |
| `ɹ`                                                     | r                                | `red` → `ɹˈɛd`      |
| `ʃ`                                                     | sh                               | `shin` → `ʃˈɪn`     |
| `ʒ`                                                     | zh                               | `Asia` → `ˈAʒə`     |
| `ð`                                                     | voiced th                        | `than` → `ðən`      |
| `θ`                                                     | unvoiced th                      | `thin` → `θˈɪn`     |
| `ʤ`                                                     | j / dg                           | `jump` → `ʤˈʌmp`    |
| `ʧ`                                                     | ch                               | `chump` → `ʧˈʌmp`   |
| `ɾ`                                                     | flap t/d (American)              | `butter` → `bˈʌɾəɹ` |

## Vowels

| Symbol | Meaning                                 | Example                              |
| ------ | --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `ə`    | Schwa                                   |                                      |
| `ɐ`    | Unstressed *a* / *an* / *am* (`U+0250`) | `a conversation` → `ɐ kˌɑnvəɹsˈAʃən` |
| `ᵊ`    | Muted schwa                             | `pixel` → `pˈɪksᵊl`                  |
| `i`    | easy                                    | `easy` → `ˈizi`                      |
| `u`    | flu                                     | `flu` → `flˈu`                       |
| `ɑ`    | spa                                     | `spa` → `spˈɑ`                       |
| `ɔ`    | all                                     | `all` → `ˈɔl`                        |
| `ɛ`    | bed / hair                              | `bed` → `bˈɛd`                       |
| `ɜ`    | her                                     | `her` → `hɜɹ`                        |
| `ɪ`    | brick                                   | `brick` → `bɹˈɪk`                    |
| `ʊ`    | wood                                    | `wood` → `wˈʊd`                      |
| `ʌ`    | sun                                     | `sun` → `sˈʌn`                       |
| `æ`    | ash (American)                          | `ash` → `ˈæʃ`                        |
| `ᵻ`    | Between `ə` and `ɪ` (American)          | `boxes` → `bˈɑksᵻz`                  |
| `A`    | ay (IPA `eɪ`)                           | `hey` → `hˈA`                        |
| `I`    | eye (IPA `aɪ`)                          | `high` → `hˈI`                       |
| `W`    | ow (IPA `aʊ`)                           | `how` → `hˌW`                        |
| `Y`    | oy (IPA `ɔɪ`)                           | `soy` → `sˈY`                        |
| `O`    | oh (IPA `oʊ`, American)                 |                                      |

## Gaps

These are pauses and punctuation, not speech sounds:

` ` (space) `;` `:` `,` `.` `!` `?` `—` `…` `"` `(` `)` `“` `”`

Any other character is rejected.

## Example

English `Look the price`:

```
lˈʊk ðə pɹˈIs
```