Text to Speech
Paste text and hear it read aloud with the voices built into your device and browser. Choose the voice, speed and pitch.
About this tool
Uses your browser’s built-in speech feature. Voices marked “online” are provided by your browser maker’s service (for example Google in Chrome or Microsoft in Edge), which may send the text to that service to be spoken; the other voices run on your device. The tool cannot save the audio as a file.
Paste any text and hear it read aloud using the voices built into your device and browser. Choose a voice and language, and slow the speech down or speed it up. It is useful for proofreading your own writing, listening to an article while you work, practising pronunciation or making text easier to follow.
How to use the Text to Speech
- Type or paste your text into the box.
- Choose a voice. Voices depend on your device; English voices are listed first.
- Set the speed and pitch.
- Press Speak. Use Pause / resume and Stop to control playback.
Proofreading a cover letter
Paste a 300-word cover letter and press Speak. At normal speed most voices read about 150 words a minute, so it takes about two minutes. Hearing the text makes missing words, repeated words and long sentences much easier to notice than reading it silently. Set the speed to 0.8× if you want to listen closely.
Where the voices come from
The tool uses your browser’s built-in speech feature, so the voices you see depend on your operating system and browser. Windows, macOS, iOS and Android all include several voices, and many support South African English and other languages. Some browsers add online voices, marked “online” in the list, which are made by the browser maker’s service; those may send the text to that service. The other voices run on your device. The tool can’t save the speech as an audio file.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the same voices on every device. A voice available on a laptop may not exist on a phone.
- Pasting text with lots of symbols or URLs. Voices read them literally; clean them up first.
- Using an online voice for private text. Choose a voice without the “online” label to keep the text on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this text to speech free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no word limit beyond about 32,000 characters at a time.
Can I download the audio?
No. Browsers don’t let web pages record their built-in voices. Use your device’s screen or audio recorder if you need a recording.
Why is there no voice in my language?
The voices come from your device. Add more voices in your operating system’s language or speech settings, then reload the page.
Why does the speech stop on my phone?
Some mobile browsers stop speech when the screen locks or you switch apps. Keep the page open while it reads.