Thando
Zulu Text to Speech and AI Voice Generator
Zulu text to speech for scripts in isiZulu: type or paste your words, choose a voice and press Play.
Hear it in Zulu
No account needed323 / 500
Voice
Edit the text, pick a voice and press Play. Listen as often as you like before you sign up. Write isiZulu words joined, so Ngiyabonga stays one word, not Ngi ya bonga.
2 voices
Zulu text to speech voices, male and female
Listen2It has 2 Zulu voices, 1 male and 1 female. Press Use this voice to load one into the tool. Filter by gender.
Gender
Themba
Proof
Used by teams and publishers
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“In the biggest languages, the voices sound nearly human.”
Review on Capterra , 1 December 2022
“…an impressive natural-like array of voices and great customer support.”
Review on Capterra , 27 September 2022
isiZulu writes its three click sounds with ordinary letters. C is a soft click made behind the front teeth, as in ucingo (wire or phone). Q is a sharp pop, as in iqanda (egg). X is a click made at the side of the mouth, as in ixoxo (frog). Spell each word the standard way, because a wrong click letter gives you a different word.
isiZulu joins its parts into long words, so Ngiyakuthanda (I love you) is one word, not three. Keep words joined as standard spelling does. Names of languages and peoples keep a small prefix with a capital on the stem, as in isiZulu, amaZulu and isiNgisi for English.
Show respect in the way you address people. Sawubona greets one person and Sanibonani greets a group, and elders are often called baba or mama. Everyday speech in Johannesburg and Durban mixes in English, and prices and times are often said in English. Decide which you want and write it out. If a name is read wrongly, add it to the pronunciation dictionary.
Three steps
How to convert Zulu text to speech in three steps
Add your script
Type or paste Zulu text, or import a .txt, .docx or .pdf file up to 500KB, or a web page by URL.
Pick a voice and shape the delivery
Play the samples, choose a voice, add pauses where the listener needs a breath, and set how any word is read with the pronunciation dictionary.
Generate and download
Export an MP3, a voice and music mix, or SRT captions.
What's free
Free plan
Everything you need to hear your script
- The Free plan costs $0.
- Every voice is included.
- Preview voices as often as you like.
- A free account gets 2,500 credits once, not every month. That is about 2,500 words of text to speech.
- Download your audio as an MP3.
- The Free plan is for personal and evaluation use. Paid plans add commercial rights.
Answers
Frequently asked questions
Yes. You can play any voice on this page before you sign up. The full library has 1,411 voices across 160 languages and dialects.
Write or import your Zulu script, choose a voice and press Generate. To download the MP3, create a free account: downloads work on the Free plan. You can also export a voice and music mix or SRT captions.
Yes. The Free plan costs $0 and includes every voice, with a one-time allowance of 2,500 credits, about 2,500 words. It is for personal and evaluation use.
Yes. Zulu has 1 male and 1 female voices. Use the gender filter above the voice list and try a few with your own first line.
Yes, on a paid plan: paid plans include commercial rights, and the Free plan is for personal and evaluation use only. Starter costs $5 for the first month, then $19 a month.
Preview the line first. If a number, date or abbreviation comes out wrong, write it the way it should be spoken, or add it to the pronunciation dictionary, which is on every plan. One entry fixes that word across the whole project.
Use the letters c, q and x, which is how isiZulu writes its clicks. Some clicks combine with other letters, as in ngc, nq and gx, so copy names from a trusted source. Preview the line and listen to each click. If one is wrong, check the spelling first.
They are related Nguni languages, and many speakers can follow each other, but spelling and vocabulary differ. Xhosa uses more click sounds, and plenty of everyday words are not the same. Write your script in isiZulu for a Zulu voice. If your audience is in the Eastern Cape, ask a Xhosa speaker to adapt it.
The rest of the studio
More with Listen2It
Turn your Zulu script into a voice over
Paste your script into the tool above, pick a voice and hear it before you sign up.
Try it with your script No account needed to listen 2 Zulu voices