Reader's guide · 2 pages · US LetterStudent versionDownload PDF

Reader's guide

Listen to any page,
with every word highlighted

ReadingVox reads this website aloud in a natural voice and highlights each word as it's spoken, so you can follow along, take a break from the screen, or hear a word you're not sure about.

Start in three steps

  1. 1 Open the toolbar

    Click the round ReadingVox button, usually in the bottom-right corner of the page. The toolbar opens.

  2. 2 Press Play

    The page is read from the top. Press again to pause; it picks up where you left off.

  3. Plants make their own food.

    3 Follow along

    The word being read is highlighted and the sentence is shaded. The page scrolls with the reading.

Hear just part of the page

Select any text with your mouse or finger, then choose Listen.

The water cycle never stops. ListenDefineTranslate

The player controls

  • Play / pause
  • Stop and go back to the start
  • Previous / next sentence
  • Slower / faster, from 0.5x to 2x
  • Settings: voice, colors, language
  • Guide: what every button does

Click the bar along the toolbar's edge to jump to any point.

Tip: Listening while you read helps with long articles, new vocabulary, and reading in a second language. Slow it down for a tough passage, or speed it up to skim.
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Tools that help you read

They're in the toolbar next to the player. Each website chooses which tools to show, so you may see fewer than these.

  • Click and listenTurn it on, then click any paragraph to start reading from there.
  • DictionaryLook up a word: meaning, examples, and a button to hear it.
  • TranslateSelect text and hear it in another language (when available).
  • SummarizeA short, plain-language summary of the page or your selection.
  • Simplify viewShows just the text in a clean, distraction-free column.
  • Simplify vocabularySwaps hard words for simpler ones. Hover to see the original.
  • Text sizeMake text up to twice as large.
  • FontEasier-to-read fonts, including OpenDyslexic.
  • Page colors12 high-contrast color combinations, like yellow on black.
  • Reading rulerDims the page except a strip, to keep your place.
  • MagnifierShows the sentence being read in large text.
  • Download MP3Save the page as audio to listen later.

Make it yours

Open Settings. Your choices are saved in your browser.

  • Voice: pick the voice you like best.
  • Highlighting: word and sentence, word only, sentence only, or off, in six colors.
  • Toolbar language: 29 languages, from Spanish and Arabic to Vietnamese and Somali.
  • Text spacing: more space between letters, words and lines.
  • Volume and keyboard shortcuts.

Keyboard shortcuts

On a Mac, Alt is the Option ⌥ key.

Alt + RPlay / pause
Alt + SStop
Alt + Shift + → ←Next / previous sentence
Alt + Shift + ↑ ↓Faster / slower
Alt + TOpen or close the toolbar
Alt + CClick and listen
Alt + KDictionary
Alt + HToolbar guide

Good to know

Works on phones and tablets
In the web browser. Use your browser rather than an app view.
No sound?
Check your device volume and the Volume setting in ReadingVox. Some browsers wait for a click before playing audio.
Other languages
Pages in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Hindi, Japanese and Chinese are read with natural voices. Translations are machine-made.
Your privacy
ReadingVox receives only the text you choose to hear, to turn it into audio. It doesn't use cookies or create an account for you.