SpeechSynthesisUtterance: error event

Baseline Widely available

This feature is well established and works across many devices and browser versions. It’s been available across browsers since September 2018.

The error event of the Web Speech API SpeechSynthesisUtterance object is fired when an error occurs that prevents the utterance from being successfully spoken.

Syntax

Use the event name in methods like addEventListener(), or set an event handler property.

js
addEventListener("error", (event) => {});

onerror = (event) => {};

Event type

Event properties

In addition to the properties listed below, properties from the parent interface, Event, are available.

charIndex Read only

Returns the index position of the character in the SpeechSynthesisUtterance.text that was being spoken when the event was triggered.

elapsedTime Read only

Returns the elapsed time in seconds after the SpeechSynthesisUtterance.text started being spoken that the event was triggered at.

error Read only

Returns an error code indicating what has gone wrong with a speech synthesis attempt.

name Read only

Returns the name associated with certain types of events occurring as the SpeechSynthesisUtterance.text is being spoken: the name of the SSML marker reached in the case of a mark event, or the type of boundary reached in the case of a boundary event.

utterance Read only

Returns the SpeechSynthesisUtterance instance that the event was triggered on.

Examples

You can use the error event in an addEventListener method:

js
utterThis.addEventListener("error", (event) => {
  console.log(
    `An error has occurred with the speech synthesis: ${event.error}`,
  );
});

Or use the onerror event handler property:

js
utterThis.onerror = (event) => {
  console.log(
    `An error has occurred with the speech synthesis: ${event.error}`,
  );
};

Specifications

Specification
Web Speech API
# eventdef-speechsynthesisutterance-error
Web Speech API
# dom-speechsynthesisutterance-onerror

Browser compatibility

BCD tables only load in the browser

See also