Text to Speech
Have any text read aloud using the voices already on your device. Adjust speed and pitch to taste.
How to Use
- 1. Type or paste the text you want read aloud.
- 2. Pick a voice from the list your device provides.
- 3. Adjust speed, pitch, and volume to taste.
- 4. Press Speak — use pause or stop at any time.
About Speech Synthesis
This tool uses the Web Speech API, which is built into modern browsers. Because the speech engine belongs to your operating system, the available voices vary: Windows exposes its installed SAPI voices, macOS and iOS provide the Siri voice family, and Android supplies Google's engine.
Hearing your own writing read back is one of the fastest ways to catch clumsy sentences — the ear notices awkward rhythm that the eye skims past. It is also useful for proofreading, learning pronunciation, and accessibility.
One genuine limitation: the API plays audio but never exposes the stream, so no browser-only tool can offer an MP3 download. Any site that does is uploading your text to a server to synthesise it there.
Related tools: Word Counter and Speed Reading Timer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which voices are available?
The list comes from your own operating system and browser, so it differs between Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Chrome on desktop also exposes a set of higher-quality network voices.
Can I download the audio as an MP3?
No. The Web Speech API plays speech through your speakers but does not expose the audio stream, so browsers give no way to capture it to a file. Any site offering a download is sending your text to a server instead.
Is there a character limit?
There is no limit here, but some browsers stop long utterances after a few minutes. If a very long passage cuts off, split it into shorter paragraphs.
Is my text sent anywhere?
The tool itself sends nothing — it is handed to your browser's built-in speech engine. Note that some browsers use cloud voices, in which case the text is processed by that vendor. Choosing a voice marked local keeps it entirely on your device.
Why does nothing happen when I press Speak?
Browsers block audio until you interact with the page, so the first click may be ignored — press it again. If the voice list is empty, your device has no speech voices installed.
Was this tool helpful?
Guide
How to have text read aloud with your browser's voices
This tool reads text out loud using the speech engine already built into your browser and operating system, through the Web Speech API (speechSynthesis). You paste text, choose a voice, set speed, pitch and volume with three sliders, and press Speak. The site does not generate the audio itself. The voice you hear is whichever one your device provides.
So the voice list and quality differ between a Windows laptop, an iPhone and an Android phone, and because browsers play the audio without handing it back to the page, there is no MP3 download.
Step by step
- Click the Text box and type or paste what you want to hear. It opens with a sample sentence you can replace. A line above the box shows words, characters and an estimated duration.
- Open the Voice drop-down, where each entry shows a voice name and a language code. If it says Loading voices, wait a moment. The tool preselects the first English voice it finds.
- Set Speed (0.5x to 2.0x), Pitch (0 to 2) and Volume (0 to 100 percent). Defaults are 1.0x, 1.0 and 100 percent.
- Press Speak. While speech plays, the button becomes Restart and Pause and Stop buttons appear.
- Use Pause to hold your place (it becomes Resume) or Stop to end. Slider changes do not affect the passage already playing, so press Restart to hear new settings.
- Press Clear to stop any speech and empty the text box.
When this is useful
- Proofreading an email, essay or script by ear, which exposes awkward rhythm and missing words that eyes skim past.
- Listening to pasted study notes or a long article while cooking or travelling.
- Getting a rough idea of how an unfamiliar English word or name might be pronounced, though each engine says things differently.
- Previewing a short announcement, such as a school notice, to judge its length and wording.
Worked example: Previewing a school assembly notice
You paste this announcement: Good morning, everyone. Today's assembly will begin at nine o'clock sharp. Class five students should line up near the main gate. Please remember to carry your homework diaries, and parents are requested to collect report cards after ten thirty. The counter line reads 39 words, 245 chars and about 16s at 1.0x, which is 39 divided by 150 times 60, rounded. At 1.2x the estimate drops to 13s and at 0.8x it rises to 20s. You press Speak, decide it sounds rushed, drag Speed down to 0.8x and press Restart to hear the whole notice again at the slower pace.
Tips for better results
- Choose a voice whose language code matches your text. An English voice reading Hindi usually produces nonsense, and a Hindi voice appears only if your device has one installed.
- Slow down to about 0.8x when studying pronunciation, and try 1.3x or more when skimming familiar notes.
- Use punctuation on purpose. Engines pause at commas and full stops, and a line break between list items makes them easier to follow.
- Write abbreviations the way you want them said. Rs may be read letter by letter, so type rupees.
- The Volume slider works within your device volume, so check the phone or laptop volume and silent switch if you hear nothing.
Common mistakes
- Looking for a download button. There is none, because the browser plays the speech without exposing the audio. For a file, use a dedicated speech-synthesis service and check its terms.
- Pressing Speak once and hearing nothing. Browsers can block audio until you interact with the page, and an empty voice list means no voices are installed. Press again and check the volume.
- Assuming confidential text stays on the device. Some voices are online, and the drop-down does not say which. Names containing Google or Online often indicate a network voice, so for sensitive text prefer one your system installed locally.
- Moving a slider mid-speech and expecting an instant change. Settings are read when playback starts, so press Restart.
- Treating the duration estimate as exact. It is words divided by 150 per minute, adjusted by the speed slider, and real voices vary.
Your files and privacy
Your text is passed to your browser's built-in speech engine and is not uploaded, saved or logged by this site. Some browsers and operating systems use online voices, in which case the voice provider may process the text, and this page cannot tell you which kind a voice is. Opening the page sends a usage note with the tool name and a random anonymous visitor ID, never your text.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I see different voices from a friend?
The list comes from your own device and browser, not from this site. Windows, macOS, iOS and Android ship different voices, and extra voices installed in system settings appear here.
Can it read Hindi or other Indian languages?
Only if your device has a voice for that language, because the tool adds none of its own. If a voice with a code such as hi-IN is listed, choose it for Hindi text. Otherwise install one in your device settings and reload.
Can I save the speech as an audio file?
No. The Web Speech API plays sound but never gives the page access to the audio stream, so no browser-only tool can offer an MP3. Sites that provide downloads generally send your text to a server to synthesise it.
Why does it stop in the middle of long text?
Some browsers and voices cut off long passages, especially online ones. Splitting the text into sections of a few paragraphs each is the reliable workaround.
Why does the Speak button say Restart?
While speech is playing the button changes to Restart. Pressing it cancels the current playback and starts again from the beginning with the current voice, speed, pitch and volume.
Guide reviewed 2026-10-11 by the useToolify team.
More Tools
Related Text & Encoders
Text to Handwriting
Base64 Encode/Decode
Sort Lines
Word Counter
You Might Also Like