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Ten voices.

Five female and five male voices, each with a character of its own, and every one speaks all 31 languages. On the web all ten are free: pick the one you like listening to.

Serena

Calm and steady, with a slightly low tone.

Good forLong reads and study

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeRead by Serena

Mr. Utterson the lawyer was a man of a rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile; cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse; backward in sentiment; lean, long, dusty, dreary and yet somehow lovable.

At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye; something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face, but more often and loudly in the acts of his life.

He was austere with himself; drank gin when he was alone, to mortify a taste for vintages; and though he enjoyed the theatre, had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years.

But he had an approved tolerance for others; sometimes wondering, almost with envy, at the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds; and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove.

“I incline to Cain’s heresy,” he used to say quaintly: “I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.”

In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance and the last good influence in the lives of downgoing men.

No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson; for he was undemonstrative at the best, and even his friendship seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good-nature.

It is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle ready-made from the hands of opportunity; and that was the lawyer’s way.

LanguageEnglishSpeed1×
Voice
Fig. 1 · Voices

Serena, reading.

Serena is the voice the reader starts with. Pick another from the cast and the same sentence is read in a different voice.

The cast

In order of appearance

Meet the voices.

Each voice has a character of its own, the way narrators do. All ten speak all 31 languages, so pick by ear, not by language.

IFemale voices

  • Serena

    Calm and steady, with a slightly low tone.

    Good forLong reads and study

  • Poppy

    Bright, cheerful and playful, with spirited energy.

    Good forChildren’s books

  • Claire

    Clear, professional and broadcast-ready.

    Good forNews and articles

  • Vivian

    Crisp, confident and expressive.

    Good forEssays and drama

  • Hazel

    Kind, gentle and naturally soothing.

    Good forBedtime stories

IIMale voices

  • Max

    Lively and upbeat, with confident energy.

    Good forAdventure and light reads

  • Victor

    Deep, robust and composed, with a grounded presence.

    Good forHistory and epics

  • James

    Polished, authoritative and trustworthy.

    Good forNon-fiction and papers

  • Sam

    Soft, gentle and approachable, with a youthful quality.

    Good forYoung-adult fiction

  • Ellis

    Warm and soft-spoken, with a natural storytelling quality.

    Good forNovels

How it works2
  1. Open something to read.

    Drop in a book or document, from PDF to EPUB, or paste text. In the app, you can also pick a free book from the library.

  2. Pick a voice.

    Choose one of the ten, then the language your text is written in.

  3. Press play.

    The voice reads sentence by sentence. To try another, stop, pick a new voice and press play again.

Notes3

Before you pick one

One model, ten characters.

Each of the ten voices has a character of its own. Serena is calm and steady, Poppy bright and playful, Victor deep and composed. There is no right one. Pick the voice you like listening to for what you are reading, and pick another for the next book.

A voice is not tied to a language. All ten speak all 31, so Hazel can read a German bedtime story and James a Japanese paper. Pick the voice first, then the language your text is written in.1

On the web all ten voices are free, with no limit and no sign-up. The first time you press play, your browser downloads the voices once, about 100 MB, so Wi‑Fi is a good idea; after that they load in a second. While a voice is reading, the voice menu is locked: stop, pick another and press play.2

In the app, on iPhone and iPad, the voices live on your phone or tablet, so they read without a connection, on a plane or out of signal. Serena and Max are free there, and the other eight come with the one-time unlock. The voice gallery lets you preview every voice before you decide, the locked ones too.

Details4
Voices
10: five female, five male
Female
Serena, Poppy, Claire, Vivian, Hazel
Male
Max, Victor, James, Sam, Ellis
Languages
All 31, in every voice
On the web
All ten, free, no limit, no sign-up
In the app
Serena and Max free; the other eight with the one-time unlock
Preview
Every voice, in the app’s voice gallery
Runs on
Your device: the browser on the web; iPhone and iPad in the app, offline
First play
On the web, a one-time download of about 100 MB
Browser
Needs WebGPU; otherwise the reader uses your device’s built-in voice
Starts with
Serena
Questions5
Are the voices free?

On the web, yes: all ten, with no limit and no sign-up. In the app, Serena and Max are free and the other eight come with the one-time unlock.

Does every voice speak every language?

Yes. All ten voices read all 31 languages. Pick the voice you like, then the language your text is written in.

Can I hear a voice before I choose it?

Yes: press Play sample under any voice on this page. In the app, every voice has a Preview button in the voice gallery, the locked ones too. On the web, pick a voice and press play; stop and pick another to compare.

Do the voices work offline?

In the app, yes: they run on your phone or tablet. On the web, the first play downloads the voices once, about 100 MB, and after that they load from your browser in a second.

Try it6

Pick a voice and press play.

The reader is free in your browser, with all ten voices. The app for iPhone and iPad takes them with you.

More features7
Web and app · Languages

31 languages

Every voice reads all 31 languages, from English and Español to 日本語.

In the app · Offline

Offline

The voices run on the device, so the app reads without a connection.

In the app · Sleep timer

Sleep timer

Pick 5 to 60 minutes and the voice stops on its own.

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