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

# Text normalization

> How Geko turns numbers, currency, and dates into spoken Kazakh.

By default (`normalize: true`) Geko expands machine-y text — numbers, currency, percentages, dates, times — into how a Kazakh speaker would actually **say** it, before synthesis. This is why `152` comes out as words, not "one-five-two".

```ts theme={null}
await geko.tts.create({
  text: "Тапсырыс нөмірі 152, сомасы 5500 ₸, жеңілдік 15%.",
  voice: "Aigerim",
});
// "152", "5500 ₸", "15%" are spoken as full Kazakh words
```

## What it handles

* **Numbers** — `152` → spoken cardinal form.
* **Currency** — `5500 ₸` → the amount in words + "теңге".
* **Percentages** — `15%` → "…пайыз".
* **Dates & times** — written forms → spoken forms.
* Common abbreviations and symbols.

The normalizer is **Kazakh-specific** (it lives in `serve/normalize.py`). As more languages ship, each gets its own normalizer.

## When to turn it off

Set `normalize: false` if:

* Your text is **already** written exactly as it should be spoken.
* You're feeding pre-processed text from your own pipeline.
* You want digits read out literally by your own rules.

```ts theme={null}
await geko.tts.create({ text: "бір бір бір", voice: "Aigerim", normalize: false });
```

CLI:

```bash theme={null}
gekoai say "бір бір бір" --no-normalize -o out.wav
```

<Tip>
  Keep punctuation — it guides phrasing and pauses. A trailing `.` / `!` / `?` helps the model finish the last word cleanly (the server adds one if you omit it).
</Tip>

If a specific number or name is mispronounced, try spelling it phonetically in the text with `normalize: false`, or open an issue with the example.

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="TypeScript SDK" icon="code" href="/sdk/typescript">
    The `normalize` param and the full synthesis surface.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Playing & saving audio" icon="volume-high" href="/guides/playing-audio">
    Turn the synthesized WAV into files or playback.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Latency & quality" icon="gauge-high" href="/guides/latency">
    Tune the `nfe` dial for speed or fidelity.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>