WellSaid Voices maintain a natural pace, but you might want to add longer pauses between sentences to emphasize or clarify. To do this, try the following:
Use the Pause Cue
Best for making one comma or period pause shorter or longer than its default — without changing the surrounding text.
- Highlight the punctuation mark in your script.
- Adjust the pause length longer or shorter using the Pause Cue in the right sidebar.
Use Punctuation
WellSaid voices are designed to respond to punctuation the way a voice actor would — adding natural beats and inflection, not just mechanical stops. Use this as a guide:
- Comma [,] — short, subtle pause. If the voice isn't pausing where you'd expect, try inserting a comma.
- Semicolon [;] — slightly longer than a comma
- Hyphen [-] — brief beat
- Ellipsis […] — long, trailing pause
- Period [.] — pause plus a downward inflection. Best for breaking a long sentence into two so the voice better predicts emphasis.
No extra steps needed — just type the punctuation in your script.
Use a New Line
Moving a sentence to a new line produces a slightly longer natural pause, the way an actor may conclude one paragraph before moving on to the next.
Note: Multiple new lines do not extend the pause. One or two new lines will suffice, like a natural paragraph break.
Use a New Section
This is the most precise way to add silence between two parts of your script. You can set a default for the whole project, or customize individual breaks.
See Control Pauses Between Sections and Continuous Playback for more information on this feature!
If you still need a longer pause, you can use your preferred post-processing tool to add additional pauses.