OpenRouter Text-to-Speech: API Tutorial in 5 Minutes

We support text-to-speech through the OpenAI-compatible POST /api/v1/audio/speech endpoint. Send text, a model, and a supported voice, then save or stream the audio. One API key reaches TTS models from multiple providers using the same request structure. This tutorial covers authentication, synthesis, response validation, streaming, and model or voice changes. Send TTS requests to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1/audio/speech. Use the OpenAI Python SDK by setting base_url to https://openrouter.ai/api/v1. Change the voice value in one line when the model supports another voice. Change the matching model and voice together when you switch providers. You name the model in the request body. The endpoint, authentication, and response handling stay the same whichever provider’s speech model you pick. Our audio API announcement covers the wider launch. For speech-to-text, use our transcription guide. Create an OpenRouter API key and store it in an environment variable to keep it out of your source code. All examples use https://openrouter.ai/api/v1 as the base URL and send the key in the Authorization:…