Text to Speech
Listen to chapters read aloud while you follow along with the text.
How to Listen
- Open any chapter.
- Click Text to Speech in the chapter toolbar.
Playback starts automatically and auto-advances into the next chapter when one finishes. Click any paragraph to start from that point. Pause, resume and stop from the playback controls.
Two Engines
| Engine | Who | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Browser | Free for everyone | Your device's built-in voices, so quality varies by device. Runs entirely on your device, no login. Pauses when the tab is backgrounded on mobile |
| AI | Translator Base ($12/mo) and up | Natural, consistent neural voices. Background playback. Unlimited |
Eligible patrons default to AI voices; everyone else defaults to browser voices. Change it in Display Settings → Speech — once you pick an engine, that choice is never overridden.
Settings
In Display Settings → Speech:
- Device voice — browser engine only; pick from the voices installed on your device, each with a short preview. Falls back to the system default.
- Pitch — browser engine only.
- Speed — shared by both engines.
Tips
- The browser engine reads a paragraph at a time; after backgrounding the tab on mobile, tap play to resume from the same spot.
- Quotes and stray symbols are cleaned up before they're spoken.
How the AI Engine Works
It runs Kokoro TTS, an open-source model, on our own GPU infrastructure, with 27 voices (US/UK male and female). Audio is generated on demand each time you press play — no third-party TTS services are involved. The browser engine uses your device's own voices and never sends text anywhere.