Overview
A text-to-speech reader built on the Web Speech API: paste text, choose from the voices your operating system provides, and adjust speed and pitch while the speech is synthesised on your own device. Nothing is uploaded — the voices and the synthesis engine belong to your browser and OS.
How It Works
Type or paste text into the reader, pick a voice from the dropdown (each entry shows the voice name, its language, and whether it is your system default), and set speed and pitch on sliders from 0.5 to 2 times. Press Speak to start and Stop to cancel immediately. If your browser lacks the Web Speech API, the tool says so plainly instead of failing silently, pointing you at Chrome, Edge, or Safari.
Step-by-Step Usage Guide
- Paste the text you want to hear into the reader.
- Pick a voice from your system's list and language.
- Adjust speed and pitch to taste.
- Press Speak, then Stop when you want silence.
Technical Specifications & Standards
Voice selection is the interesting part. The tool reads the SpeechSynthesisVoice list on load and also listens for the voiceschanged event, because browsers populate voices asynchronously — Chrome in particular often has an empty list at page load and fires the event when the OS voice registry arrives. Speed and pitch map directly onto the utterance's rate and pitch properties, both bounded to the 0.5–2 range the API behaves predictably in. Speech runs through window.speechSynthesis, so quality, languages, and even availability vary entirely by platform: Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS ship different voice sets, and some browsers download voices on demand. The tool uses cancel() for Stop, which ends speech immediately — the underlying API also has pause/resume, which this interface intentionally does not expose. Two limitations to know: there is no audio-file export, since the Web Speech API synthesises to speakers rather than to a buffer you can download, and long texts are bounded by the browser's own utterance handling, so extremely long pastes may stop early on some platforms.
Targeted Use Cases
- Proofreading an article by ear to catch awkward phrasing.
- Following along with long text while your eyes rest.
- Helping early readers associate written and spoken words.
- Checking how a sentence sounds in another language voice you have installed.
Notes & Gotchas
- Wait a moment on first load for the voice list to populate; browsers detect voices asynchronously.
- Try a different installed voice before concluding the tool is broken — quality varies hugely by OS.
- Keep speed near 1 for proofreading; extremes are useful for skimming.
- Remember the tool reads whatever you paste, so nothing needs to leave your machine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do the voices come from?
From your operating system and browser via the Web Speech API. The tool lists whatever voices your device has installed, marks the system default, and updates the list if the browser discovers new voices while the page is open.
Is my text uploaded to a server?
No. Synthesis happens in your browser or OS. Some platform voices may themselves use on-device or vendor services, but this tool makes no network request of its own with your text.
Can I download the speech as an audio file?
No. The Web Speech API renders speech to your speakers rather than to a downloadable buffer, and the tool does not record system audio. Use an OS-level recorder if you need an audio file.
Why is my browser unsupported?
The tool requires the speechSynthesis API. If it is missing — some older or privacy-focused browsers omit it — you get an explicit notice recommending Chrome, Edge, or Safari rather than a silent failure.