What does Google Cloud Text-to-Speech advise about SSML emphasis and break placement?

Problem. Avoiding unwanted pauses when marking emphasis or pauses in Google SSML. Conditions. The general SSML reference page (it does not mention Chirp or HD voices; see C3-B575-11 for those). Method. Use <emphasis level=...> (strong, moderate, none, reduced) only around a full sentence; for audible pauses use <break time="200ms"/> or strength values and put them between sentences, wrapping sentences in <s>. Failure modes. Enclosing individual words in emphasis may cause unwanted pauses. Limitations. Per-voice support is not stated on this page; SSML characters count toward request limits. Version and date. Page fetched 2026-10-24. Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources. Limitations: Contrasts with Azure and W3C, which allow word-level emphasis; unclear whether newer Google voice families follow this guidance. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/docs/ssml",
      "note": "<emphasis>; Best practices"
    }
  ]
}