🔊 Text to Speech
By ToolNimba Editorial Team · Updated 2026-06-19
Enter some text, pick a voice, then press Speak.
This text to speech tool reads any text aloud right in your browser. Paste or type your text, choose from the voices your device offers, then fine-tune the speaking rate and pitch before pressing Speak. Because it uses your browser's built-in speech engine, nothing is uploaded anywhere: the audio is generated on your own device, so it works for private notes, long articles, study material, or just resting your eyes.
What is the Text to Speech?
Text to speech (TTS) converts written text into spoken audio. This tool uses the Web Speech API, a feature built into modern browsers that exposes the speech voices already installed on your operating system. When you press Speak, the text is handed to the SpeechSynthesis engine, which produces the audio locally. No recording is made and no text leaves your device, which is why the tool works without an account, without a network connection after the page loads, and without any cost.
The voices you can choose from are not provided by this site, they come from your device. A Windows PC, a Mac, an Android phone and an iPhone each ship with their own set of system voices, and some browsers add cloud voices on top. That is why the list you see may differ from a friend's list, and why the same text can sound slightly different on another machine. The language tag shown next to each voice (for example en-US or en-GB) tells you which language and accent that voice is tuned for, so pick one that matches your text for the clearest pronunciation.
Two settings shape how the speech sounds. Rate controls how fast the words are spoken, where 1.0 is the voice's normal speed, lower values slow it down for dictation or language practice, and higher values speed through familiar material. Pitch raises or lowers the tone of the voice, with 1.0 being its natural pitch. Volume sets how loud the output is relative to your system volume. You can change these between readings, and the Pause, Resume and Stop controls let you manage playback for longer passages.
When to use it
- Proofreading: hearing your writing read back catches awkward phrasing and typos the eye skips over.
- Accessibility: letting people with dyslexia, low vision, or reading fatigue listen instead of read.
- Studying: turning notes, articles or scripts into audio you can listen to hands-free.
- Language practice: slowing the rate down to hear how words in another language are pronounced.
- Multitasking: listening to a long passage while you cook, commute, or rest your eyes.
How to use the Text to Speech
- Type or paste the text you want read aloud into the text box.
- Pick a voice from the dropdown (the list comes from the voices installed on your device).
- Adjust the Rate, Pitch and Volume sliders to taste.
- Press Speak to start. Use Pause and Resume to control playback, or Stop to end it.
Formula & method
Worked examples
You want to proofread a short paragraph at a slightly slower pace.
- Paste the paragraph into the text box.
- Choose an English voice that matches your accent, for example one tagged en-US or en-GB.
- Set Rate to about 0.9x so the words are easy to follow.
- Leave Pitch at 1.0 and Volume at 100%, then press Speak.
Result: The paragraph is read aloud slightly slower than normal, making mistakes easier to catch.
You are studying and want to listen to your notes hands-free at a faster speed.
- Paste your notes into the box.
- Pick your preferred voice.
- Set Rate to 1.4x to move quickly through familiar material.
- Press Speak, and use Pause whenever you need to write something down.
Result: Your notes play back at 1.4x speed, and you can pause and resume as you take notes.
What the playback settings do
| Setting | Range | Normal | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rate | 0.5x to 2x | 1.0x | How fast the words are spoken |
| Pitch | 0 to 2 | 1.0 | How high or low the voice sounds |
| Volume | 0% to 100% | 100% | Loudness relative to system volume |
Common language tags you may see beside voice names
| Tag | Language and accent |
|---|---|
| en-US | English (United States) |
| en-GB | English (United Kingdom) |
| es-ES | Spanish (Spain) |
| fr-FR | French (France) |
| de-DE | German (Germany) |
| hi-IN | Hindi (India) |
Common mistakes to avoid
- Expecting the same voices on every device. The voice list comes from your operating system and browser, not from this site. A phone, a Mac and a Windows PC each offer a different set, so the voices you see may not match someone else's.
- No voices appearing in the dropdown. Voices can load a moment after the page does. Wait a second or refresh, since the tool listens for the browser's voiceschanged event and fills the list as soon as the voices are ready.
- Setting volume to zero and assuming it is broken. The Volume slider is separate from your system volume. If it is at 0% you will hear nothing even though the tool is working. Check both this slider and your device volume.
- Pasting an extremely long passage at once. Very long text can be cut off by some browser speech engines. For long documents, read it in sections or split it into a few smaller paragraphs.
Glossary
- Text to speech (TTS)
- Technology that converts written text into spoken audio.
- Web Speech API
- A browser feature that lets web pages use the device's built-in speech voices.
- Voice
- A specific synthetic speaker, tied to a language and accent, installed on your device.
- Rate
- How fast the text is spoken, where 1.0 is the voice's normal speed.
- Pitch
- How high or low the voice sounds, where 1.0 is its natural tone.
Frequently asked questions
Is this text to speech tool free?
Yes, it is completely free with no account or sign-up. It uses the speech engine already built into your browser, so there are no usage limits or fees.
Is my text sent anywhere or recorded?
No. The text is converted to speech locally by your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored, or recorded, which makes the tool safe for private or sensitive text.
Why do I see different voices than on another device?
The voices come from your operating system and browser, not from this site. Windows, macOS, Android and iOS each ship with their own voices, so the list varies from one device to another.
Why are no voices showing up?
Browsers often load voices a moment after the page. The tool listens for the voiceschanged event and fills the dropdown automatically. If it stays empty, refresh the page or try a different browser.
Can I download the speech as an audio file?
Not from this tool. The browser SpeechSynthesis API plays audio but does not provide a direct download. You would need a dedicated recording tool or a service that returns an audio file.
Which browsers support this tool?
Recent versions of Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox support the Web Speech API used here. If your browser does not support it, the tool will tell you and the controls will be disabled.