Text to Speech

How to use Text to Speech

1. Type or paste your text into the box.
2. Choose a voice from the list and adjust speed, pitch and volume if you wish.
3. Press Play to start listening; use Pause, Resume or Stop as needed.
4. Try a different voice or language if the pronunciation sounds wrong.

How browser text to speech works

Modern browsers include the Web Speech API, which lets a web page hand text to the speech engine built into your operating system. The engine converts the words to sound using the selected voice. This tool is a simple interface on top of that feature, so quality and language coverage are decided by your device rather than by us.

Because the engine is local, many voices work even without an internet connection, although some voices on certain browsers are streamed from the vendor’s servers. If privacy matters to you, choose a voice labelled as local or offline in your system settings.

Good ways to use it

• Proofread your writing by ear; mistakes that the eye skips over are often obvious when spoken.
• Practise listening and pronunciation when learning a language by choosing a voice for that language.
• Listen to an article or notes while you do something else.
• Help with reading for people who find long text tiring.
• Preview how a script or announcement sounds at a particular speed.

Limitations

Voices differ in naturalness. Some are clearly synthetic, and pronunciation of names, abbreviations and numbers can be wrong. Choosing a voice that matches the language of the text matters a lot; an English voice reading Spanish will be hard to understand.

Very long passages may stop partway on some browsers, as certain engines cut off long utterances. If that happens, split the text into smaller sections. Pitch and speed ranges are limited by what each voice supports, and a few voices ignore the pitch setting entirely.

If you want the best quality, try the voices marked as enhanced, premium or natural in your system settings; these are often noticeably smoother than the compact default voices. On phones, the browser may pause speech when you switch apps or lock the screen, so keep the page open while listening. Remember that reading speed is personal: many people comfortably listen at around 1.2 to 1.5 times normal speed once they are used to a voice.

Why use this text to speech tool

• Uses your device’s voices. The Web Speech API exposes the voices installed on your phone or computer, many of them in several languages.
• Speed, pitch and volume. Slow down for proofreading and language practice, or speed up to skim long text.
• Full playback control. Play, pause, resume and stop without losing your place in the text box.
• No upload. Speech is generated by your browser and operating system; this page does not send your text anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

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