# Generate Speech

## cURL

```bash
curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.heygen.com/v3/voices/speech \
  --header 'Content-Type: application/json' \
  --header 'x-api-key: <api-key>' \
  --data '\n{\n  "text": "<string>",\n  "voice_id": "<string>",\n  "input_type": "text",\n  "speed": 1,\n  "language": "<string>",\n  "locale": "<string>"\n}\n'
```

### Possible Status Codes

- **200**
- **400**
- **401**
- **429**

```json
{
  "data": {
    "audio_url": "<string>",
    "duration": 123,
    "request_id": "req_abc123",
    "word_timestamps": [
      {
        "word": "<string>",
        "start": 123,
        "end": 123
      }
    ]
  }
}
```

## Authorizations

### ApiKeyAuth

- **x-api-key**  
  **Type:** string  
  **Location:** header  
  **Required:** Yes  
  **Description:** HeyGen API key. Obtain from your HeyGen dashboard.

## Body

### application/json
  - **text**  
    **Type:** string  
    **Required:** Yes  
    **Description:** Text to synthesize (1-5000 characters).  
    **Required string length:** `1 - 5000`
  - **voice_id**  
    **Type:** string  
    **Required:** Yes  
    **Description:** Voice ID to use. The voice must support the starfish engine. Filter compatible voices by passing engine=starfish to the voice listing endpoint.
  - **input_type**  
    **Type:** string  
    **Default:** text  
    **Description:** Type of the input: 'text' for plain text, 'ssml' for SSML markup. Defaults to 'text'.
  - **speed**  
    **Type:** number  
    **Default:** 1  
    **Description:** Speed multiplier (0.5-2.0).  
    **Required range:** `0.5 <= x <= 2`
  - **language**  
    **Type:** string | null  
    **Description:** Base language code (e.g. 'en', 'pt', 'zh'). Optional — auto-detected from text when omitted.
  - **locale**  
    **Type:** string | null  
    **Description:** BCP-47 locale tag (e.g. 'en-US', 'pt-BR'). When set, language is inferred from locale.

## Response

### 200

#### application/json
- **data**  
  **Description:** Response payload for text-to-speech generation.