What is a voiceover?
A voiceover is spoken narration or dialogue recorded separately from the picture and played over a video, film, ad, presentation or game, usually by a speaker who is not seen on screen. It is also written voice-over or abbreviated VO. Voiceovers are recorded by voice actors or, increasingly, generated with AI text to speech or a cloned voice.
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Updated September 27, 2026
How is a voiceover made?
A voiceover starts with a script written for the ear: short sentences, clear transitions and numbers written the way they should be spoken. In a traditional production, a voice actor records the script in a sound booth, often with a director, and an editor removes mistakes, balances levels and syncs the takes to the picture. With AI, you paste the script into a text to speech tool, choose a voice or a consented clone, adjust pronunciation and pacing, and generate the audio in minutes. In both cases, the voice is then mixed with music and effects, usually with the music lowered under speech.
- Write the script for the ear
- Choose a voice actor, an AI voice or a consented clone
- Record or generate, then fix pronunciation and pacing
- Mix the voice with music and effects
Where are voiceovers used?
Voiceovers are used wherever a message needs a voice without a person on camera. Common examples are YouTube videos and explainers, documentaries, e-learning courses, corporate training, product demos, TV and radio ads, audiobooks, podcasts, video games and phone menus. In translation, voice-over also names a technique where the translated speech plays over the original audio, which stays faintly audible, as often heard in documentaries and news. Industry estimates put the global voiceover and dubbing market at about USD 4.55 billion in 2025, projected to reach about USD 11.18 billion by 2035.
Should you choose a human or an AI voiceover?
The choice between a human and an AI voiceover depends on the performance the project needs. A human voice actor brings interpretation, emotional range and live direction, which matter for character work, brand campaigns and dramatic storytelling. An AI voiceover is faster and cheaper, easy to update line by line and available in many languages, which suits tutorials, e-learning, product videos and social content. Industry estimates suggest AI production can cut voiceover costs by roughly 60 to 90% compared with a traditional studio. Whichever you choose, check the usage rights, and never clone a real person's voice without their explicit consent.
Examples of voiceovers
- A narrator explains each step of a software demo while the screen recording plays.
- A documentary translates an interview with a voiceover while the original speech stays faintly audible underneath.
- An e-learning team generates an AI voiceover for a course and updates one line when a procedure changes.
- A YouTube creator who never appears on camera narrates every video with an AI voice.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a voiceover and dubbing?
A voiceover adds a voice on top of the content, usually a narrator who is not on screen, and in translation the original audio may stay faintly audible underneath. Dubbing replaces the original dialogue entirely with a new recording in another language, timed to the people on screen so it sounds as if they speak that language. Documentaries and news often use voice-over translation, while films, series and many YouTube channels use dubbing.
What does VO mean in a script?
VO stands for voiceover. In a screenplay, V.O. next to a character's name means the character is not physically present in the scene, as with narration, inner thoughts or a voice heard through a phone. It differs from O.S., meaning off screen, which marks a character who is present in the scene but not visible in the shot. In advertising and video scripts, VO simply marks the narrator's lines.
Can AI replace a voiceover artist?
For many everyday jobs, AI voiceovers are already used instead of recording sessions: tutorials, e-learning, internal training, product videos, social clips and drafts. Human voice actors remain the better choice when a project depends on performance, such as character acting, emotional storytelling or a flagship brand campaign, and when you need live direction. Many teams use both: AI for volume, updates and translations, and a human actor for the pieces where nuance matters most.
How do I make an AI voiceover?
Write or paste your script into a text to speech tool, choose a voice that fits the tone and language, and generate the audio. Listen back, fix any mispronounced names, adjust pacing with punctuation, and regenerate only the lines that need it. Then export the file and place it on your video timeline. On wawie, you can do this with 1000+ voices in about 30 languages, export MP3 or WAV, and start with a free account: 5,000 credits, no card needed.
Related terms
- Text to speech (TTS): Text to speech converts written text into natural-sounding spoken audio, used for voiceovers, narration, accessibility and voice assistants.
- Voice cloning: Voice cloning builds a synthetic copy of a specific person's voice from recordings, so new speech can be generated in that voice.
- AI dubbing: AI dubbing translates the speech in a video and re-voices it in another language, timed to the original and optionally in the original voice.
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