Looking for a tool

Hi, I've recently had a programming opportunity I can take, which could offer me some money. I'm looking for an API that allows the computer to accept text input, and speak the given words. I've tried googling for different things, even on Microsoft's website, but I've only come across voice-recognition software (which listens to the user, rather than speaks to them) or other odd-ball things. I know there's software out there that recognizes words a person says, but I need software that takes text and plays words as sound... just to avoid the confusion in this.

I think if I knew what this was called, I could find it alot more easily with just Google. From what I know about the system, Microsoft has produced one of their own. So I've been trying there, but without luck.

I'm not necessarily looking for free software here. But if there is any free software available that you're aware of, that would be useful.

I know this is alot to ask, but if anyone has any information at all - a project name will do - I'd appreciate it very much.

The DLL here also does speech output. I think it's the one you're talking about. Beeps wrote a declarations file and demo for it for B3d.
http://www.blitzbasic.com/codearcs/codearcs.php?code=951

i believe you mean "text-to-speech"

afaik the microsoft speech sdk is what most people use to create a tts program.

see here for some useful info:
http://www.microsoft.com/mind/0299/cutting/cutting0299.asp
and here for the downloads:
http://www.microsoft.com/speech/download/old/sapi5.asp

I was using the one Muk listed with VB.NET, it's as simple as adding the control to a form and then doing.

control.speak "Say this"

You can also set the speed and a couple other parameters - but I did not need to change those for the application I was working on.