AM Hearing your own writing read back is one of the fastest ways to find mistakes. A missing word, a sentence that runs too long or a repeated phrase stands out immediately when a voice stumbles over it. This text to speech tool reads any text aloud using the voices already available in your browser and operating system, with no account and no limit on length or use.
The voices you get depend on your browser and device, which is why the list on your laptop may differ from the list on your phone. Your speed, pitch, volume and voice choices are remembered in this browser for next time.
How to use the text to speech tool
- Type or paste your text into the box at the top of this page. It starts with a sample paragraph you can replace.
- Pick a voice. Voices are grouped by language, with your own language listed first. Voices marked "(online)" are streamed from your browser maker's servers.
- Set the speed (0.5x to 2x), pitch (0 to 2) and volume.
- Press Play. The read-along view under the buttons highlights the sentence being read and fades the ones already read. The status shows progress, such as "Reading 4 of 12".
- Pause and Resume to stop mid-text and continue, or Stop to reset.
- Click any sentence in the read-along view to start reading from that point, which is handy for re-checking one paragraph.
Long sentences over about 220 characters are split at commas or semicolons before reading. Some browsers cut off very long single utterances, so splitting keeps playback reliable.
What is text to speech?
Text to speech (TTS) is software that turns written text into spoken audio. Older systems stitched together recorded sounds and sounded robotic. Most current voices, including many built into Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Chrome, use neural network models, which is why they sound much closer to a person. Browsers expose these voices to websites through the Web Speech API, and that is what this tool uses.
Why the voices differ between devices
| Device | Where the voices come from | How to add more |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows speech voices, plus online natural voices in Microsoft Edge | Settings > Time & language > Speech > Manage voices > Add voices |
| Mac | macOS system voices, plus Google online voices in Chrome | System Settings > Accessibility > Read & Speak (Spoken Content on older versions), then the info button next to System voice |
| iPhone and iPad | iOS voices | Settings > Accessibility > Spoken Content > Voices |
| Android | The device's text-to-speech engine, often Speech Services by Google | Text-to-speech output in Accessibility settings (names vary by phone maker) |
| Chrome on desktop | System voices plus a set of Google online voices | Comes with the browser |
After you install a new voice, reload this page so the browser lists it.
Speed, pitch and pronunciation
Speed 1 is the voice's normal rate. Around 0.8 suits detailed proofreading or language practice, and 1.3 to 1.5 is comfortable for skimming text you already know. Pitch changes how high or low the voice sounds without changing speed; most people leave it at 1. Voices follow punctuation, so you can steer them:
- Commas and periods add pauses, and a line break between paragraphs gives a longer one.
- Abbreviations, product codes and units are read unpredictably. Write "for example" instead of "e.g." and "kilograms" instead of "kg" if the output sounds wrong.
- Numbers may be read as one figure or digit by digit depending on the voice. Test prices and years before recording anything.
- Brand and place names are often mispronounced. Spell them phonetically in a copy used only for listening.
Worked examples
Timing a YouTube script
A 300-word script read at speed 1 by a typical voice takes about two minutes, close to the 150 words a minute a presenter speaks. Paste the script, press Play and time it. If it runs to 2 minutes 40 seconds, you know to cut about 60 words before recording. The word counter gives the same estimate on paper.
Proofreading a product description
A seller listens to a 150-word description at speed 0.9 while following the highlight, and hears "the the" and a sentence that runs 48 words. Two quick edits later it reads cleanly. Hearing it catches what reading it three times missed.
Practicing a language
A learner pastes a Spanish paragraph, chooses a Spanish voice, sets speed to 0.7 and clicks each sentence to repeat it until the pronunciation sticks.
What text to speech is useful for
| Use | How it helps | Suggested setting |
|---|---|---|
| Proofreading | You hear missing words and clumsy sentences your eyes skip | Speed 0.9 to 1, follow the highlight |
| Script timing | Shows roughly how long a voiceover or video will run | Speed 1, time a full read |
| Accessibility | People with low vision, dyslexia or eye strain can listen instead of read | Whatever speed is comfortable |
| Language practice | Hear pronunciation of text in a language you are learning | Speed 0.7 to 0.8, a native voice |
| Studying | Listen to notes or articles while you commute or rest your eyes | Speed 1.2 to 1.5 once you are used to it |
Can I download the audio as an MP3?
No, and this is a browser limit rather than a missing feature. The speech feature browsers give websites plays audio directly through your speakers; it does not hand the sound back to the page, so no site using these voices can save it as MP3 or WAV. Tools that offer downloads generate speech on their own servers with separate voice engines. If you need a file, use a screen or audio recorder that captures system sound, press record, then press Play here.
Warning: The voices belong to your operating system or browser vendor, and their terms may not allow use in commercial videos or ads. Check before you publish a recording.
Troubleshooting
- "No speech voices were found." Your device has no voices installed, or the browser is still loading them. Add a voice in your system speech settings (see the table above) and reload.
- Nothing plays. Check that the tab and device are not muted and the Volume slider is up. On iPhone, silent mode can mute web speech.
- "The voice stopped with an error." Some online voices drop when the connection is weak. Choose an offline voice (one without "(online)") or reload.
- The wrong language is spoken. Pick a voice from the language group that matches your text. An English voice reading French sounds wrong.
- Playback stops when the phone screen locks. Mobile browsers pause web speech in the background. Keep the screen on while listening.
How to turn off text to speech on your device
Many people search for this after a screen reader turns on by accident. These shortcuts work on current versions, if the shortcut has not been changed:
- Windows Narrator: press the Windows key + Ctrl + Enter.
- Mac VoiceOver: press Cmd + F5 (or hold Cmd and press Touch ID three times).
- iPhone and iPad VoiceOver: Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver, or triple-click the side or home button if the Accessibility Shortcut is set.
- Android TalkBack: hold both volume keys for about 3 seconds if the shortcut is on, or go to Settings > Accessibility > TalkBack.
- Chromebook ChromeVox: press Ctrl + Alt + Z.
Privacy
This page never sends your text to our server. With voices that run on your device, the text stays on your device. Voices marked "(online)" work differently: your browser sends the text to its maker's speech service (Google for Chrome's online voices, Microsoft for Edge's) to generate the audio. For confidential text, pick a voice without "(online)".
For natural voiceovers
System voices are fine for listening but can sound flat in a finished video. If you make YouTube content, AM Jarvis YouTube Studio helps you research keywords and write titles, descriptions and script outlines to record from. Paste your finished script here to proofread it by ear before you record, and if a script arrives as a scanned page or screenshot, the image to text converter turns it into text you can paste. Long AI answers you want to listen to can be cleaned up first with the AI chat exporter.