Text to Speech Converter - Read Text Aloud Online

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What is a Text to Speech Converter?

A text to speech converter reads written text aloud. You type or paste some text, and a computer voice speaks it. People use it to listen to articles and notes while they do something else, to check their own writing by ear, to practise a language and to read longer text with less strain on the eyes.

This tool uses the speech feature that is already built into your browser and your device. It does not use a voice of its own, so the voices you hear are the voices that your device offers.

How to Convert Text to Speech

1. Paste or type your text in the box.
2. Choose a voice from the dropdown. Pick a voice in the same language as your text.
3. Set the speed and the pitch with the sliders, or leave them in the middle.
4. Click Speak. Your device reads the text aloud.
5. Use Pause to hold the speech, Resume to continue and Stop to end it.

If you change the text, the voice, the speed or the pitch, click Stop and then Speak again to hear the new version.

What You See on the Page

Item	Meaning
Text box	Where you paste or type the text to be read
Voice dropdown	The voices that your browser and device provide, with their languages
Speed slider	How fast the voice speaks
Pitch slider	How high or low the voice sounds. Some voices ignore it
Speak	Starts reading the text aloud
Pause and Resume	Hold the speech and continue it. They may behave differently on some devices
Stop	Ends the speech so that you can start again
Length hint	Suggests shortening your text when it is longer than 5,000 words

Why the Voices Are Different on Every Device

This website does not own any voices. The list in the dropdown comes from your browser and your operating system, so it can be long on one device and short on another.

What changes the list	Example
Your device	A phone, a laptop and a tablet can each have different voices
Your operating system and its version	Newer versions often add or improve voices
Your browser	Browsers can add voices of their own, and some show fewer voices than others
Installed language packs	A language can be missing until you add it in your device's language or speech settings
Your internet connection	Online voices work only when you are connected

Voice quality also differs a lot. Some voices sound smooth and some sound robotic. Try a few voices to find one that you like.

Local Voices and Online Voices

A voice can work in two ways. Where the tool can tell, it marks each voice in the list.

Type	How it works	Good to know
Local voice	The speech is made on your device	Does not need an internet connection once the page is open. Your text stays on your device
Online voice	The speech is made by a service of the browser or device maker, so your text is sent to that service	Needs an internet connection. Sounds better in some cases. The maker's own privacy terms apply

This tool never sends your text to our server in either case. If your text is private, choose a local voice, or do not paste it.

Hindi and Other Languages

• Choose a voice in the language of your text. Paste Hindi text in Devanagari and pick a Hindi voice. The voice list shows each voice with its language, for example Hindi or English.
• Hindi in English letters (Hinglish) is read with English sounds. An English voice reads namaste in its own way. For correct Hindi pronunciation, type in Devanagari and choose a Hindi voice.
• No voice for your language? Then your device cannot read it. You can add a language or a voice in your device's language or speech settings, and then reload this page.
• Mixed text. A voice made for one language reads words from another language with that language's sounds. Split the text into parts and read each part with its own voice.

Speed and Pitch

Setting	What it does	When to change it
Speed, slower	The voice speaks more slowly	Learning a language, writing down what you hear, hard or unfamiliar words
Speed, normal	The voice's own speed	Most reading
Speed, faster	The voice speaks quickly	Skimming text that you already know. Very fast speech can be hard to understand
Pitch, lower or higher	Makes the voice sound deeper or higher	Matching your taste. Some voices ignore pitch

A change in speed or pitch applies to the next time you click Speak. Click Stop first, then Speak again.

Pause, Resume and Stop

• Pause holds the speech at the current place.
• Resume continues from that place.
• Stop ends the speech. The next Speak starts again from the beginning of the text.

Pause and Resume depend on the browser and the voice. On some devices, Pause may stop the speech completely, and Resume may then start again from the beginning. Stop is the most reliable of the three.

Long Text

Browsers handle long speech in different ways, and very long text can stop in the middle, skip a part or never start. The tool shows a hint to shorten your text when it is longer than 5,000 words.

• Read long documents in parts of a few paragraphs instead of all at once.
• Use the Word Counter to see how long your text is.
• If the speech stops, click Stop and click Speak again, or try another voice.

Can I Download the Audio?

No. This tool plays the speech through your speakers, but it does not create an audio file such as an MP3 or a WAV. A browser's speech feature does not allow a web page to save the sound that it makes. If you need an audio file, use a service that is built to create audio files, and read the terms of the voice that you use, because they decide what you may do with the sound.

What Can You Use It For?

Use	How it helps
Studying	Listen to notes or an article while you walk, cook or rest your eyes
Proofreading	Hearing your own writing makes missing words, repeated words and clumsy sentences easier to notice
Language practice	Hear how a sentence sounds. Voices are not perfect, so do not treat them as the final authority on pronunciation
Reading with less strain	Some people find listening easier than reading on a screen for a while
Rehearsing a script or a speech	Hear the length and the rhythm of your text
Listening to text from other tools	Use Image to Text (OCR) to get text from a picture, then paste it here to listen to it

This tool can help with reading, but it is not a medical or special-education tool, and it is not a replacement for a screen reader or other assistive technology that a person relies on.

Tips for Clearer Speech

• Use punctuation. Commas and full stops give the voice natural pauses.
• Write difficult numbers, dates and abbreviations the way you want them spoken. For example, write the full word instead of a short form, if the voice reads it wrongly.
• Spell hard names the way they sound. A voice can mispronounce names, and a spelling that sounds right can fix it.
• Remove what should not be read. Web addresses, long codes and many emoji or symbols can be read letter by letter or by name.
• Keep text and voice in the same language.
• Split long text into short paragraphs.
• Try more than one voice. The same text can sound very different with another voice.

Common Problems and Fixes

• No sound: Check the device volume and that the page is not muted. On some iPhones, the silent switch can mute web page sound. Also make sure that you tapped Speak yourself, because speech cannot start by itself.
• The voice list is empty: Wait a few seconds, reload the page, or try another browser. Some computers need speech software installed.
• No voice for my language: Add the language or the voice in your device's language or speech settings.
• The speech stops in the middle: The text may be too long, or an online voice may have lost its connection. Click Stop, shorten the text and try again, or choose another voice.
• Pause does not work as expected: Some devices handle it differently. Use Stop and Speak instead.
• Words are mispronounced: Change the spelling the way it sounds, add punctuation or try another voice.
• The pitch slider does nothing: The voice does not support pitch.
• It sounds robotic: The voice quality depends on your device. Try a different voice.

Common Mistakes

• Choosing a voice in the wrong language: The text is then read with the wrong sounds.
• Typing Hindi in English letters and expecting Hindi sounds: Use Devanagari and a Hindi voice.
• Pasting a very long document at once: Split it into parts.
• Pasting confidential text with an online voice: The voice's service may receive the text.
• Expecting an audio file: This tool only plays the speech.
• Expecting every voice to support pitch and pause: It depends on the voice and the device.
• Using speech commercially without checking the voice's terms: This tool does not give you rights to a voice.

Good to Know

• The tool reads plain text. It does not read pictures, files or web pages for you. Paste the text.
• The tool uses your browser's speech feature, and a few browsers or devices do not support it.
• The voices and the quality are decided by your device, not by us.
• The tool does not create audio files.
• Keep the page open and the screen on while the speech is running, especially on a phone.

Privacy

• The tool does not send your text to our server, and we do not save it.
• The speech is made by your browser or your device. For online voices, the service of the browser or device maker may receive your text, and its own privacy terms apply.
• If your text is private, choose a local voice, or do not use the tool for that text.
• Your text disappears when you close or reload the page.
• No signup, no account and no app install are needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I convert text to speech?

Paste or type your text in the box, choose a voice, set the speed and pitch if you want, and click Speak. Your browser reads the text aloud. Use Pause, Resume and Stop to control it.

Why is my list of voices different from someone else's?

The voices come from your browser and your device, not from this website. A different phone, computer, operating system or browser has a different set of voices, and some voices appear only after a language pack is installed in your device settings.

Can it read Hindi and other languages?

Yes, if your device has a voice for that language. Choose a Hindi voice, for example, from the list and paste Hindi text. If the list has no voice for a language, the tool cannot read that language on your device, and you can add one in your device's language or speech settings. The text and the voice should be in the same language, or the result may sound wrong.

Is my text sent to a server?

The tool does not send your text to our server. The speech itself is made by your browser or your device. Some voices are online voices, and for those the service of the browser or device maker may receive your text to create the speech. If privacy matters, choose a voice marked as local or offline where the tool shows one, and do not paste confidential text.

How do speed and pitch work?

Speed sets how fast the voice speaks, and pitch sets how high or low it sounds. Move the sliders and click Speak again to hear the change. Some voices do not support pitch, so the slider may change nothing for them. Very fast speech can be hard to understand.

What do Pause, Resume and Stop do?

Pause holds the speech where it is, Resume continues from there and Stop ends it so that you can start again from the beginning. Pause and Resume do not work the same way on every browser and device, and on some of them Pause may stop the speech completely. Stop is the most reliable.

Can I download the speech as an MP3 or WAV file?

No. This tool plays the speech through your speakers but does not create an audio file. A browser's speech feature does not let a web page save the sound it makes. If you need an audio file, use a service that is built to create files, and check the terms of the voice that you use.

Is there a limit on the length of the text?

Very long text can be unreliable, because browsers handle long speech in different ways. The tool shows a hint to shorten your text when it is longer than 5,000 words. For best results, read long documents in parts of a few paragraphs.

Why does the speech stop in the middle or never start?

Common reasons are a very long text, an online voice whose internet connection has dropped, a voice that is not fully installed, or a browser that is under heavy load. Click Stop, shorten the text or paste it in parts, try another voice and click Speak again. Also check that your device volume is on. On some iPhones, the silent switch can mute the sound of web pages.

Why is the voice list empty?

Some browsers load the list a moment after the page opens, so wait a few seconds and reload if needed. If the list stays empty, your browser or device may not have any speech voices installed or may not support speech on this page. Some computer setups need speech software installed. Try another browser or check your device's speech settings.

Does it work without an internet connection?

It can, with a voice that is installed on your device, once the page has finished loading and stays open. Online voices need an internet connection. The page itself has to load once with a connection.

Does it work on my phone?

Yes, on phones whose browser supports speech. Speech must be started by tapping Speak, so it cannot start by itself. Set your volume before you tap, and keep the page open and the screen on while it reads, because phones can pause web pages in the background.

Can I use the speech in my videos or for business?

This tool does not give you any rights to a voice. Whether you may record or use speech for videos, adverts or products depends on the terms of the voice that your browser or device provides, so check them before you use speech commercially.

Is this tool a replacement for a screen reader?

No. It reads only the text that you paste. A screen reader reads your whole device and its menus, and people who rely on one should keep using it. This tool can still help you listen to a piece of text.

Is this text to speech converter free?

Yes. The tool is free and needs no signup.