Systems and processes for operating an intelligent automated assistant to provide media items based on phonetic matching techniques are provided. An example method includes receiving a speech input from a user and determining whether the speech input includes a user request for a media item. The method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the speech input includes a user request for obtaining a media item, determining a candidate media item from a plurality of media items. The method further includes determining, based on a difference between a phonetic representation of the candidate media item and a phonetic representation of the speech input, whether the candidate media item is to be provided to the user. The method further includes, in accordance with a determination that the candidate media item is to be provided to the user, providing the candidate media item to the user.