Quick Answer
This text-to-speech tool reads any pasted text aloud using your browser's built-in speech engine — and highlights every word as it is spoken so you can follow along. Click any word to jump straight to it, fine-tune speed, pitch and volume, and switch between listening presets. It works offline, costs nothing, and needs no downloads — a genuine alternative to listening to long articles or proofreading by ear.
Key Takeaways
- Word-by-word highlighting as the text is read — click any word to jump to it.
- Speed, pitch and volume sliders plus four listening presets.
- Resume from where you paused, skip sentences, and control playback with keyboard shortcuts.
- Private: the text never leaves your device.
How Browser Text-to-Speech Works
Modern browsers ship with built-in speech synthesis — the same engine that powers accessibility features. This tool connects to that engine, so there is no audio file to generate, no server round-trip, and no character limit. You paste text, press speak, and the browser reads it with voices already installed on your device.
How to Use the Tool
- Paste or type the text to read — or press Sample to load an example and Upload .txt to read a file.
- Pick a voice from the dropdown (loaded from your system).
- Tune speed, pitch and volume, or apply a preset like Slow & Clear or Fast Scan.
- Press play and follow the highlighted words; click any word to jump straight to it.
- Pause, resume or skip sentences with the buttons — or the keyboard shortcuts.
Choosing a Voice and Speed
Available voices depend on your operating system and browser — Windows, macOS and Chrome each ship different ones, grouped by language in the dropdown. Try a couple to find a tone you like. Beyond the speed slider (0.5× to 2×), you can raise or lower pitch for a warmer or crisper delivery and adjust volume to sit comfortably alongside other audio. Four presets bundle these settings for common situations: Normal, Slow & Clear (0.8×, with a pause between sentences for study), Fast Scan (1.5× for skimming), and Study Mode (slow, slightly pitched up, sentence-paced). The estimated duration updates as you type, so you know the listen time before you press play.
Great Ways to Use It
- Proofreading by ear: errors you skip while reading often jump out when spoken.
- Hands-free reading: listen to articles while cooking, commuting or exercising.
- Learning and accessibility: hear new vocabulary pronounced correctly.
- Script rehearsal: check how your copy sounds before recording it.
Conclusion
Your browser already knows how to read — this tool just hands it the text. Paste something above, pick a voice, and listen. If you would rather turn speech into text, the speech-to-text tool works the other direction.