FLITE(1)

📦 version 2.2, in debian bookworm, debian trixie, ubuntu jammy, ubuntu noble, ubuntu questing, ubuntu resolute, ubuntu stonking

✨ FLITE(1) ✨

okay bestie, welcome to the General Commands Manual for flite 💖 you're literally about to learn how to make your computer talk, and honestly? iconic behaviour. let's get into it 🎀

🌸 NAME 🌸

flite — a small simple speech synthesizer 🗣️✨

like, tiny. like, cute. like, it will say words out loud for you. no cap.

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

flite [OPTION]... TEXTFILE [WAVEFILE]

💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

okay so real talk: this manual page documents briefly the flite command. and here's the tea 🍵 — this manual page was written for the Debian distribution because the original program does not have a manual page. instead, it has documentation in /usr/share/doc/flite/ 👀 so if you want the deep lore, that's where it lives.

so what does it actually do? it converts text in TEXTFILE to a waveform in WAVEFILE. that's the whole vibe. text in, sound out. main character energy fr fr 🔥

now here's the important bit, don't skip this:

  • if the text contains a space, it's treated as a literal textstring and spoken, and not as a file name. yes literally, a space changes everything. the way that one character decides your whole destiny 😭
  • if WAVEFILE is unspecified, or if it's "play", the result is played on the current system's audio device 🔊 (yes, current systems audio device, that's the original wording, we're keeping it 💅)
  • if WAVEFILE is "none", the waveform is discarded. good for benchmarking 📊 (throw the sound away, keep the numbers, slay)

💅 OPTIONS 💅

one bullet per option, no skipping, we're thorough in this house 🫶

  • --version — outputs the flite version number. tiny flex, but a flex ✨
  • -?, --help — outputs usage information. when in doubt, ask for help, that's growth 🌱
  • -o WAVEFILE — explicitly set the output filename. no guessing games 💖
  • -f TEXTFILE — explicitly set the input filename. tell it exactly which file, bestie 📁
  • -t TEXT — explicitly set the input text string. just say the thing directly 🗣️
  • -p PHONES — explicitly set the input text string and synthesize as phones 📞✨
  • -s, --set FEATURE=VALUE — set a feature (it guesses the type). let it figure it out, it's intuitive like that 🔮
  • --seti FEATURE=VALUE — set an int feature. whole numbers only, no decimals allowed 🧮
  • --setf FEATURE=VALUE — set a float feature. decimals welcome, come on in 🌊
  • --sets FEATURE=VALUE — set a string feature. words, letters, the whole alphabet situation 🔤
  • -b — benchmark mode. for when you want the receipts on performance 📈
  • -l — loop endlessly. forever and ever and ever and ever and 🌀 (seriously, it does not stop on its own)
  • -v — verbose output. it will tell you everything, and honestly? we love a chatty icon 🗣️💬
⚠️ heads up bestie: -l loops endlessly. like, actually endlessly. know what you're getting into before you commit 💀

🌈 SEE ALSO 🌈

go read these too, they're all part of the extended universe 💫

👑 AUTHOR 👑

this manual page was written by Mario Lang <mlang@debian.org>, for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others) 🫶 give them their flowers, they wrote the docs the original program never had 💐

okay that's the whole page, you're officially flite-literate 🎓✨ this was the FLITE(1) manual page, dated February 25, 2003 🎀 yes, 2003 — vintage, retro, still serving 💖 go make your computer say something unhinged, you've earned it 🦋🌸

📦 where this page comes from