Google Search’s New Feature will Guide Users with their Pronunciation

Google search is launching a new feature that will guide users with their pronunciation of unfamiliar words employing the aid of machine learning.

When launched users who need pronunciation guides will be able to speak into their microphones, and Google will analyze whatever word they have pronounced with the use of Artificial Intelligence. Subsequently, they will get feedback on how each syllable matches Google’s expected pronunciation.

Google explains, “For example, if you’re practicing how to say “asterisk,” the speech recognition technology analyzes how you said the word and then, it recognizes that the last soundbite was pronounced ‘rict’ instead of ‘uhsk,”. “Based on this, you will receive feedback on how you can improve next time.”

The new feature will be made available from today, however, Google says, it’s “experimental” and only available on mobile to begin. The new guides also only work for American English words, though Google says Spanish pronunciations are “soon to follow.”

Reports also say that Google is also working on improving its word translations and definitions with visual prompts. Hence, if you’re trying to translate “Naranja” from Spanish to English, for example, you’ll also see pictures of oranges along with the translated word. If you’re looking up the meaning of the word “seal,” you’ll be shown pictures of mechanical seals, embossed pieces of wax, and the semiaquatic marine mammal. No confusion there.

Google says these picture translations will only work initially in English and for the most easily visualized type of word: nouns. But it plans to expand the coverage in the future.