Text to Speech: Read Text Aloud
Paste your text, press the button, and your browser reads it aloud right away. No sign-up, no character limit, and the text never leaves your device.
Next steps
How to use it
- Add your text. Copy the text you want to hear and paste it into the box, or type it. The sample buttons drop in a short passage.
- Pick a voice. Voices are grouped by language, and an English voice is selected to start with. For text in another language, switch to a voice in that language so it is pronounced properly.
- Set speed and pitch. Speed runs from 0.5× to 2× and pitch from 0 to 2. Start with both at 1, listen, then adjust.
- Press Read aloud. The sentence being read is highlighted and the bar shows how far along you are. The same button pauses and resumes; Stop returns to the beginning.
- Start from any sentence. Tap a sentence in the text shown below the controls to start reading from there. It is handy for hearing a part again.
Your text, voice, speed and pitch are saved automatically in this device's browser, so they are still there the next time you open the page.
What it is good for
- Proofreading your own writing - hearing a report, cover letter or email read aloud exposes clumsy sentences, missing words and repeated phrases that your eyes skip over. One listen before sending catches a lot.
- Resting your eyes - let long articles, notices or study material play while you listen. It also works while your hands are busy with chores.
- Language learning - paste a sentence in Spanish, French, Japanese or Korean, choose a voice in that language, and hear the pronunciation and rhythm. Slowing down to about 0.7× is good for shadowing practice.
- Rehearsing a talk - listening to your script shows which sentences run too long and roughly how long the whole thing takes.
- Helping someone who finds reading hard - play a letter, notice or message aloud for a family member who struggles with small print or long text.
How it works
This tool uses the speech synthesis feature built into your browser. There is nothing to install and no account to create, and the text you paste is not sent to this site's server. That is why there is no limit on characters or on how often you use it.
Voices depend on your device
The voices in the list are provided by your device and browser. The same text sounds different on Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android, and Chrome and Edge show additional online voices. If you do not like the voices you have, you can download more in your device's speech settings.
Long text is read sentence by sentence
Some browsers stop partway through when handed a long passage in one go. So the text is split into sentences at full stops, question marks, exclamation marks and line breaks, and very long sentences are split once more at a comma or a space, then read in order. That lets multi-page text play through to the end and lets the page show exactly which sentence is being read.
Getting a more natural result
End sentences with a full stop and put a blank line between paragraphs so the pauses fall in the right places. If a number or abbreviation is read oddly, spell it out. Above all, match the language of the voice to the language of the text.
Good to know
- Choosing a speed - around 1× suits careful checking, and 1.3× to 1.5× is comfortable for skimming text you already know. A speed change applies from the next sentence.
- Listening on a phone - the browser may stop reading when the screen locks or you switch apps, so keep the screen on for long text. On some Android devices Pause may not respond; press Stop and tap the sentence you want to continue from.
- Symbols and tables - depending on the voice, special symbols and numbers in tables may be skipped or read oddly. Write the important parts out as plain sentences.
- Mixed languages - one voice reads the whole text, so an English voice will mispronounce foreign words. Paste each language separately and switch voices.
- Shared computers - your text is saved in the browser, so clear the text box when you finish on a computer other people use.
FAQ
Is it really free? Is there a character limit?
It is free and needs no account. There is no limit on characters or on how often you use it. Long text is split into sentences and read one after another.
Is my text sent to a server?
This site does not send your text anywhere. Reading is done by the speech feature built into your browser and device. Note that some online voices offered by a browser may be generated on that browser maker's servers.
Why do I see only a few voices?
The voice list comes from your device and browser. Add voices in your operating system's speech (text-to-speech) settings and they will appear here. Chrome and Edge also offer extra online voices.
It stops midway or I hear nothing.
Check the device volume and silent mode first. On phones, reading can stop when the screen locks or you switch apps. If it stopped, press Stop, then tap the sentence you want to continue from.