You’ll find people saying that the original wake word “Alexa” is too mainstream, and many people switch over to ziggy or computer. However, some users are still not that happy about the options like Amazon, Computer, Echo, and Ziggy that are already in the Alexa application.
If you browse the community forums or Reddit for a while, then you’ll find that everyone wants to use creative or funny wake words like “Jarvis.”
However, when you open up the wake word selection list in the application, there won’t be any options besides Amazon, Computer, Echo, and Ziggy.
During Christmas, you’ll get the “Hey Santa” wake word, but other than that, the official options for wake words are pretty limited. So, you might just be out of luck when it comes to using custom or funny wake words for your Alexa device.
Funny Alexa Wake Words
I’ll just be straightforward with you “THERE IS NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO TO CREATE CUSTOM WAKE WORDS.” Sadly, you’re only stuck with the custom wake words that are offered by Amazon in the selection list, and you can’t create more yourself.
The only chance that you have of getting a custom wake word to your liking, then you need to create a movement big enough to capture the attention of the Amazon developers. So, if you’re committed enough, just get a general wake word and then have a few thousand people request Amazon.
Still, there is no guarantee that Amazon will bend to the community’s demands. While I won’t debate the fact that the Amazon support team has been amazing, you don’t have good odds, even with thousands of people requesting the Amazon team.
Alternatively, if you’re with an organization like “Disney” that can afford to have your brand as the wake word, then by all means, do request Amazon to add it. However, for the average joe, there aren’t that many methods that can help you out. So, it is best to stick with the options that are already available.
Personally, I like to use the “computer” wake word because it sounds cool enough. While I would love to get the “Jarvis” and other custom wake words, it is simply not possible. So, I’d say that you don’t waste your time with this wake word customization and use the options that are already available.
If you’re feeling a bit funky, then “ziggy” is funny enough. However, other than that, you’re out of options. So, either stick to using these options or find a custom alternative. Otherwise, you will just be annoyed and will end up wasting hours.
Why Can’t You Use Funny Alexa Wake Words?
The wake words are stored and interpreted locally on the Echo units. You can’t just update the firmware or sneak in your custom wake word unless the developers wish to add that feature. Moreover, all the commands are based around this wake word, and you’re not left with many options.
The developers already did an amazing job, giving you a ton of wake-word options like Amazon, Computer, Echo, and Ziggy. I think that the wake word “computer” is cool enough on its own. Like saying “computer, weather” sounds cool enough on its own.
However, when it comes to adding custom wake words, the programming side of things is just too complex. Some people do claim that Amazon doesn’t allow customers to change the wake words because of brand recognition.
However, that is not really true. The main reason here is that the ACOUSTIC model is trained around the wake words that are already present. These wake words are easy to pronounce, and you will not have to deal with as many cases where the Alexa system will miss your comments.
So, the main intention here is to provide the users with performance consistency. While it might be a bummer to not be able to use custom keywords, you will still get amazing consistency from the Echo device.
Just make a habit out of using the wake words that are already present and let go of the thought of adding your own wake words. One thing that you can do, however, is to add custom voice packs, which will cost you a bit of cash.
These voice packs feature celebrity voices or Jarvis’s voices. However, you will still have to use the wake words that are already given by Amazon to engage the Alexa device. You can’t magically use any other keyword, and your choices are pretty limited in most cases.
Can You Use Raspberry Pi For Funny Wake Words?
Lastly, I have seen some people claiming that they were able to create custom wake words for their Alexa unit. However, the programming that went into creating these wake words to engage the Alexa unit was just too complex.
They would first add a layer of voice recognition that would interpret your custom wake word to the original wake word, “Alexa,” before registering the command. This only created problems with the device not recognizing the voice patterns and delays in engaging the commands.
So, I will suggest that you stay away from this programming as it will take days, if not weeks, to get even a minimal level of performance from the system. On the end note, let me just say that you can’t add funny words, and “ziggy” or “computer” are cool enough options from the given selection list.
The Takeaway
I understand that adding custom wake words or funny wake words to Alexa seems great, but you currently have no option to choose anything beyond the given wake word list. The experts working at Amazon trained the Acoustic model to recognize these words, and you can’t change them.
So, it might be time to bend to the device and use the options that are already available. There is no point in wasting time with Raspberry Pi solutions. The only viable thing that you can do is to request Amazon after getting support form the community members.
If enough people request the Amazon team to add a different wake word to the Alexa unit, then you will surely get a response. However, you’ll need support from thousands of community members who will commit to requesting Amazon developers on a weekly basis.
I personally think that the wake word list is amazing enough on its own, and there is no need to explore more options. So, if you’re in the same boat and find the existing words to be “cool or funny,” then there is no need to look for more options. Hopefully, you’ll be able to get used to the given wake words.
