How to Use Kindle Text-to-Speech

Kindle Text-to-Speech is a feature that will read Kindle books or magazines aloud to you. With Kindle Text-to-Speech you can listen to a Kindle book on your tablet, eReader, or the free Kindle app. Although you can’t change the somewhat robotic voice of the narration, Text-to-Speech is completely free and great for when you can’t read, such as while driving or when you are too tired to read. The feature is also helpful for immersion reading.

To find out if a book supports Kindle Text-to-Speech, simply go to the product page of the Kindle book you’d like to purchase and look under the section labeled “Product details” to see if there is a line that says Text-to-Speech: Enabled.

Text to Speech for Fire Tablets (4th Gen and Up)

To enable Text-to-Speech on newer Fire tablets, select a book that has the feature and follow these steps:

• While reading, tap the middle of the screen, and then click on the menu icon in the upper right corner.
• Select “Additional Settings,” and then hit the Text-to-Speech switch to enable it.
• To hear the Kindle read out loud, tap the screen to reveal the progress bar and click “Play.”
• If you want the narration to go faster or slower, you can select the “Narration Speed” icon.

Text to Speech for Older Kindle eReaders

Older eReaders, such as the Kindle Touch and the Kindle 2, can still narrate Kindle books with TTS capabilities. Follow these steps to enable Text to Speech on these older models:

• Select the book you’d like to read.
• Hit the key with “Aa.” If you’re using a Kindle Touch, tap the top of the screen to reveal the menu.
• Scroll down until you see “Text-to-Speech,” and then hit “Turn On.”

How to Enable Text to Speech in the Kindle Mobile App

The free Kindle apps for iOS and Android devices offer Text-to-Speech capabilities, but the process looks a bit different than the TTS option for Kindle tablets. iOS devices work through a feature called “Speak Screen,” whereas Androids use Google Text-to-Speech. Here’s how to enable the audio feature depending on your device:

For iOS:

• Open “Settings” on the device.
• Select “General,” and then navigate to “Accessibility.”
• Hit “Speech” and toggle “Speak Screen” on.
• Open the Kindle app and select the book you want to read.
• Activate Speak Screen by swiping two fingers down from the top of the screen. Your device should recognize this cue and begin reading the page out loud.

For Android:

• Go to the Google Play store to install the Google Text-to-Speech app.
• Once the app is finished downloading, go to your device’s settings and navigate to “Language & Input.” Hit “Text-to-Speech output.”
• Choose “Google Text-to-Speech Engine” as your default engine.
• Go to the Kindle app and open your preferred eBook.
• Press the “Menu” button, followed by “Start Text-to-Speech” to have your device begin reading the text out loud.

How to Enable Kindle Text to Speech for PC

The Kindle Cloud Reader, available for Windows and Mac browsers, makes enabling the Text-to-Speech feature simple. Simply select the book you want to read, navigate to “Tools,” and then click “Start Text-to-Speech.” The narration should begin immediately.

For more Kindle tips and tricks, see Kindle: Tips for Beginners and Pros.