Speechify Text to Speech Tutorial Introduction

As a dyslexic college student Cliff Weitzman built Speechify, a mobile and desktop app that lets users listen to documents and books instead of reading.

Speechify is now used by millions of people who consume 200 Million words with the platform every week (4,000 books worth of information per week) and has saved users more than 3.4 million hours of time. 

*Speechify Text To Speech is FREE:*

Follow Cliff Here:

I am dyslexic.

Reading a sentence takes me the same amount of energy and brainpower as most people take when solving a four digit long division math equation in their head.

I was diagnosed in 3rd grade. It was the best day of my life.

Before that, I would pretend to read in elementary school.

I'd sit with the book open in front of me and pass my finger under the words so that people (my parents, teachers, friends, siblings) wouldn't think I was dumb, or lazy.

Reading circles were terrifying.

One by one kids would read. And it would get closer to me.

My hands would start to sweat.

So I timed it just right. And right before it was my turn…

I'd go hide in the bathroom.

I did this every time.

The worst part was my dad. He was my hero.

The person I dreamed that one day I would grow up to be.
Everybody loved him. I LOVED him. I wanted him to be proud of me.

"Cliff, why are you so lazy? Don't you want to learn how to read?"

"I DO! CAN'T YOU SEE HOW HARD I'M TRYING?!" I bursted back at him, tears streaming down my face.

"No, I don't. I spend 2 hours trying to teach you how to read every day. I bought every program. Stop fidgeting and pay attention, for once."

"PAY ATTENTION?! I'm always paying attention."

"You're not. You don't care. Even your sister can read and she is 6."

"Because I TAUGHT HER! I didn't want her to go through this too.

I know all the rules. Every rule. But when I apply it, it just… doesn't work."

I use to dream about reading. When I was young I wanted to be President, a Billionaire, and a Pop-Star. I knew that to be two of these things I had to be able to read. So I walked around everywhere with a book under my arm, and imagine that one day I'd be able to read it.

The book I wanted to read the most was Harry Potter.
But after the 20th time a librarian woke me up because I'd fallen asleep with my face berried in the third page of the book I gave up.

Luckily my Dad didn't give up on me. He never gave up on me. Ever.

My Dad worked really hard when we were young. He almost never had time to eat dinner with us.

But he would come home early for this:

He'd sit on my bed. And in a slow, deep voice. He would read Harry Potter to me. My eyes would light up. I loved this so much.

When my Dad couldn't make it home in time, he'd record himself reading Harry Potter on a cassette tape. I use to fall asleep listening to that cassette tape. Over and over and over, listening to my Dad's voice.

I was double lucky because I also had my Mom (aka MamaBear). And she cares. And she is very good at research.
One day, likely during the 1000th time she searched, or in one of the 100 books she read on the topic she learned about "Dyslexia" she thought that maybe I had that. She got me tested. Turns out that is exactly what I had. That, and ADD.

When I learned I was Dyslexic, I took the deepest sigh you've ever heard a 9 year old give. "Finally!" I thought, "I'm not broken, I'm not dumb, and I am definitely NOT LAZY!"
"Great," I thought, "now we know what the problem is called, let's fix it!"

My Dad found the actual audiobook for Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, narrated by Jim Dale. He got it for me.

I listen to it 22 times in a row.

Those first three pages I would fall asleep on in the library? I have them memorized. Along with the rest of the first chapter of the book. 13 years later.

I didn't stop listening. I listen to every book in that series. Then Narnia, then Lord of the Rings, then Game of Thrones, Pillars of the Earth, Atlas Shrugged.

I never stopped listening.

I had a 20 ton boulder chained to my back that stopped me from being the person I wanted to be. Every sentence I read took ages. Now I had wings.

I started pushing my listening speed, from 1x to 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, then 2.5x speed. Because the ...

**To read post #2 go here!

[mahin_panchal]

Really Helped me out in everything ! Thank you so much Cliff for making such an application.. I came here from your advertisement in youtube and then I downloaded it and my life really changed !! Now, I can listen to thousands of pages without getting bored.. Reading is boring but listening is easy
Really an efficient app !
Kudos to you
Always there to support you 😄

[Wodepaya]

I LIKE READING BUT I TRY SPEECHIFY IS MUCH BETTER TO LISTEN OVER AND OVER .THE TET YOU THINK IS LONG WILL FINISH SPEEDY WHEN YOU USE SPEECHIFY TO READ IT .THANK YOU CLIFF

[jameslarkin]

hahaha over 120 euro a year as if. Ridiculous price

[kerrly]

Can speechify be integrated with kindle?

[neronjp]

how to i access more voice as a paid version in macbook, on web version, there are lots of voices, but in the Macbook version, the tool bar llimited the voices down to 50-60... how to get the full version list in macbook version ?? thx

[Figster]

I have paralyzed vocal cords, and need a program that will allow text-to-speech while on a phone call.

[ercm]

Hey will my uploaded content be protected from outside AI sources?

[teacher]

I just downloaded it now it stays on the first page the one that says reading is hard. No movement or sound

[granny]

How do I access the original website or article from the Speechify app?

[DigiWold]

is there anyone who teach from
learning to earning method step by step ...need guidance

[Numbnumb]

Hi my son is 8 I just downloaded the app. Can you help me get started. Like how do I scan a page or do I have to scan the whole book??

[Dailymotivation.]

How can I download the audio, or does speechify only reads the text and never converting to audio?

[nashmilrose]

Do I can share it with my family in the household and transfer it from my phone to my laptop or tablet?

[m.glichshort]

WHERE CAN I FREAKING TURN IT INTO MP3 IVE BEEN SEARCHING FOR HOURS HOW TO DO IT

[ruthwengert-vsce]

It’s too hard to use. There’s too many steps involved. No I don’t want to scan books 1st I want to read things on my iPhone. Like email, which Speechify will not let me do. It doesn’t help with my productivity. It can’t do so many things. It was very expensive. I have to download everything to my phone, I don’t have room on my phone to download everything to it.

[Happebeetime]

So why am I not getting an option for the text in the picture I took to be read???

[justinosborn]

How do you change the setting for the pauses after periods, commas, etc? it is pausing for a good 5 seconds and there seems to be no way to change that.

[SaranjitDosanjh]

I can't get past the web app google login. It I select my google account from the list and it goes back to the login dialog and just sits there

[imoddi]

Can I using speechify on my WordPress websites with WordPress plugin?

[kimberleybarrett]

Wtf just downloaded but can’t find a guide on how to get started ANYWHERE