> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.rime.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Punctuation

> How punctuation drives prosody — pauses, intonation, questions, and emphasis — in Rime's TTS output.

Punctuation drives prosody in Rime's TTS output. Beyond the standard structural role (sentence breaks, questions), Rime's models use punctuation as the primary lever for controlling pause length, intonation, and emphasis. The examples below show what's possible.

<Note>
  For a tour of text normalization across all categories, see [Text normalization](/docs/text-normalization). For precise pause durations on Mist, see [Custom pauses](/docs/custom-pauses).
</Note>

## Punctuation as prosody cues

Rime's models treat each punctuation mark as a prosodic cue:

* **Comma (`,`).** Short pause, slight rise in pitch. Use inside sentences for list items, appositives, and clauses.
* **Period (`.`).** Sentence-ending pause with falling pitch.
* **Question mark (`?`).** Rising intonation.
* **Ellipsis (`...`).** Trailing, hesitant pause.
* **Semicolon (`;`).** Slightly longer than a comma, shorter than a period.

<Warning>
  Avoid hyphens and dashes inside numbers, IDs, or phone numbers when prosody matters. They're one of the most common sources of unwanted pauses. Use spaces or [`spell()`](/docs/spell) instead.
</Warning>

## Questions

| Audio clip                                                         | Sentence           | Notes                                                                 |
| :----------------------------------------------------------------- | :----------------- | :-------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/whatdoyoumeanperiod.wav" />      | what do you mean.  | A simple period at the end of the sentence renders it a non-question. |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/whatdoyoumeanquestion.wav" />    | what do you mean?  | A simple question mark indicates an unmarked question.                |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/whatdoyoumeaninterrobang.wav" /> | what do you mean?! | Adding an exclamation point makes the question more excited.          |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/whatdoyoumeanexclamq.wav" />     | what do you mean!? | Reversing the order produces a different sort of question.            |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/whatdoyoumeanqq.wav" />          | what do you mean?? | Multiple question marks change the type of question prosody.          |

## False starts

| Audio clip                                                         | Sentence                    | Notes                                                                            |
| :----------------------------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/iithinkitsprettycool.wav" />     | i i think it's pretty cool  | Repeating a word can create more realistic, flawed human speech.                 |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/iithinkitsprettycooldash.wav" /> | i- i think it's pretty cool | A dash immediately after a word can give a cut-off, false-start sort of realism. |

## Pauses

| Audio clip                                                      | Sentence                | Notes                                      |
| :-------------------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------- | :----------------------------------------- |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/soitskindafunny.wav" />       | so it's kind of funny.  | Without any comma, there will be no pause. |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/soitskindafunnycomma.wav" />  | so, it's kind of funny. | A comma creates a slight pause.            |
| <audio controls src="/sounds/docs/soitskindafunnyperiod.wav" /> | so. it's kind of funny. | A period creates a longer pause.           |

For pauses of a specific duration on Mist, use the [`pauseBetweenBrackets`](/docs/custom-pauses) parameter — see [Custom pauses](/docs/custom-pauses).

## Common prosody problems and fixes

| Problem                                  | Likely cause                             | Fix                                                                     |
| :--------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pause lands inside a phone number        | Digits separated by dashes               | Use spaces or [`spell()`](/docs/spell)                                  |
| Weird pause before a currency amount     | `$` glued to digits                      | Rewrite naturally or add whitespace                                     |
| Run-on sentence, no breath               | Single long sentence, no internal commas | Break into shorter sentences or add commas at natural clause boundaries |
| Unnatural upward inflection mid-sentence | Comma where there shouldn't be one       | Remove the comma, or replace with a conjunction                         |
| Abrupt transition between ideas          | No sentence boundary                     | Add a period and start a new sentence                                   |

## Related

* [Custom pauses](/docs/custom-pauses) for precise pause durations on Mist
* [Spell function](/docs/spell) for forced letter-by-letter reading without unwanted pauses
* [Text normalization](/docs/text-normalization) for the full normalization overview