How to convert text to speech online in 3 steps
- 01
Type or paste your text
Enter your script directly, or paste an article, lesson, or paragraph - up to 5,000 characters. Audio Lab automatically splits long text into sentences and paragraphs so the narration paces itself naturally.
- 02
Pick a voice, speed, and pause length
Choose from 20+ American and British voices, female or male. Set speaking speed anywhere from 0.5x to 2x, and set the pause between paragraphs from 0 to 2 seconds.
- 03
Render preview, then download
Click Render preview to generate the narration and listen back. When it sounds right, use Download audio to save it as WAV or MP3, or send it straight to another tool with Continue in another tool.
What you can do with this text to speech tool
- Generate narration in 20+ English voices - American and British, female and male - using an on-device neural model, with no server round trip.
- Control speaking speed from 0.5x to 2x, so the same script can sound like a slow tutorial read or a fast preview.
- Set paragraph pauses from 0 to 2 seconds to control breathing room between sections without editing the audio afterward.
- Convert up to 5,000 characters per generation, automatically split into sentences and paragraphs for natural pacing.
- Export finished narration as WAV or MP3, choosing sample rate and channels from the output format select.
- Save a favorite voice, speed, and pause combination with Save preset, so repeat narration jobs start instantly.
- Send finished narration straight into another tool with Continue in another tool, to trim silence, add reverb, or normalize loudness.
What is text to speech online?
Text to speech online means typing or pasting written text and getting spoken audio back, without installing software or creating an account. Audio Lab's text to speech tool runs Kokoro-82M, a neural voice model, directly in your browser. The first time you use it, the browser downloads the model - about 90 MB - and caches it; every generation after that happens on your device, so your script never leaves your computer.
That local processing is what makes the tool free to use without a queue or a per-word charge. Draft a script, generate it, tweak the wording, and regenerate as many times as you need - there's no account and no meter running.
Where AI text to speech is useful
Reaching for a natural voice generator usually means you need spoken audio faster than you could record it yourself, or you want a consistent narrator for something ongoing.
- Video voiceovers - narrate tutorials, explainer videos, or short-form clips for platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Reels without booking a microphone session.
- E-learning and course narration - turn written lesson scripts into audio modules learners can listen to alongside the text.
- Accessibility drafts - give a written article or document a spoken version for anyone who reads better by listening.
- Podcast intros and outros - generate a consistent announcer voice for recurring segments, then bring it into your episode with the audio joiner.
Writing text that sounds natural when read aloud
Neural voices read exactly what you give them, so how you punctuate and format text changes how it sounds. A few habits make a real difference.
- Use full punctuation. Commas and periods control where the voice pauses and breathes; a wall of text without punctuation tends to run on.
- Spell out awkward numbers and abbreviations. A short form like "Dr." or a bare number can read literally - write "Doctor" or spell out a price if the short form sounds off.
- Break long paragraphs into shorter ones. The paragraph pause setting gives listeners a moment to absorb a point before the next one starts.
- Read your script out loud yourself first. If a sentence is awkward to say, it will usually sound awkward generated too.
Choosing a voice, speed, and pause length
Every voice in the library is generated by the same model, so the difference between them is accent, pitch, and delivery rather than quality. Preview a few before committing to a long script.
| Setting | What it does | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Voice | Sets accent (American or British) and gender of the narrator | 20+ options |
| Speed | Speeds up or slows down delivery without changing pitch | 0.5x - 2x |
| Paragraph pause | Adds silence between paragraphs for pacing | 0 - 2 seconds |
| Character limit | Maximum text length per generation | Up to 5,000 characters |
Text to speech vs. voice cloning
Text to speech and voice cloning solve different problems. This tool reads your text aloud in one of its built-in voices - you're choosing from a fixed library, not creating a new one.
Voice cloning goes the other direction: you provide a short reference recording of a specific voice, with permission, and the model generates new speech that sounds like that reference. If you need a particular voice to say something, that's the tool for it; if any clear narrator will do, text to speech is faster and asks nothing of you but a script.
The voice model, licensing, and what to expect
Kokoro-82M, the model behind this tool, is released as open-weight software under the Apache 2.0 license - a permissive license, which is part of why Audio Lab can run it entirely in your browser without a subscription or a usage cap.
A few honest limitations: the voices are English only, in American and British accents, so this isn't a fit for other languages. Very long documents need to be split into multiple 5,000-character generations, and unusual abbreviations or symbols can still be read literally rather than the way you intended.
Tips for better narration
- Preview a short clip before rendering a full script. A one-sentence test tells you if a voice's pacing and accent fit before you commit to five minutes of text.
- Break scripts into logical paragraphs. The paragraph pause setting only has gaps to work with if your text actually has paragraph breaks.
- Say numbers the way you want them heard. Write out dates, prices, and units in words when the digit form reads awkwardly.
- Slow down for technical or unfamiliar terms. Dropping speed slightly for a dense paragraph, then bringing it back up, can improve clarity.
- Save a preset once you find a voice and speed combination you like, so future scripts start from the same settings.
- Route the finished narration into the volume booster if it needs to match the loudness of other audio in your project.
Frequently asked questions
Is this text to speech tool really free?
Yes. There's no sign-up, no per-word charge, and no limit on how many times you can generate audio. The only cost is time: the neural voice model downloads once, about 90 MB, the first time you use the tool, and every generation after that runs on your device.
Does my text get uploaded anywhere?
No. Once the voice model is downloaded and cached by your browser, text you type or paste is converted to speech locally on your device. It is never sent to a server, which makes this a reasonable option for scripts you'd rather keep private.
Why does the first generation take longer than the rest?
The first time you generate audio, your browser downloads the Kokoro-82M model, about 90 MB, and caches it. After that initial download, generations are noticeably faster because the model is already loaded and doesn't need to be fetched again.
How many voices are available?
There are 20+ English voices covering American and British accents, both female and male. Preview a few before settling on one for a longer script, since accent and delivery vary more than volume or clarity.
What is the maximum text length?
Each generation supports up to 5,000 characters, split automatically into sentences and paragraphs. For a longer document, split it into sections and generate each one separately, then combine the results with the audio joiner.
What audio formats can I download?
You can export finished narration as WAV or MP3, choosing sample rate and channel count from the output format select before you download audio. WAV keeps every detail for further editing; MP3 is smaller and easier to share.
Does this work on mobile, including iPhone?
It runs in a mobile browser, but downloading and running a neural voice model uses more memory and battery than a phone comfortably has to spare. For longer scripts or repeated generations, a desktop or laptop browser will be noticeably more comfortable.
Can I use the generated audio commercially?
The Kokoro-82M model itself is released under the Apache 2.0 license, a permissive open-weight license. We can't give legal advice for your specific project, so if commercial use is central to your plan, review the license terms yourself before relying on it.
How is this different from voice cloning?
Text to speech reads your script in one of the built-in library voices. Voice cloning instead learns from a short reference recording of a specific voice you provide, with permission, and generates new speech in that voice. Use text to speech for a clear narrator; use voice cloning when a particular voice matters.
Can I control how a specific word is pronounced?
Not directly - there's no phonetic spelling input. If a word or abbreviation is read in a way you don't want, try spelling it out the way it sounds, or rephrasing the sentence so the model has more context to work with.
Why does a number or abbreviation sound wrong?
Neural voices read text literally rather than inferring your intent, so a number or short form with ambiguous formatting can come out differently than expected. Spelling out numbers, dates, and abbreviations in your script usually fixes it - see the writing tips above.
Can I generate speech in languages other than English?
No. The voices here are English only, in American and British accents. If your project needs transcription across many languages rather than narration, speech to text handles multilingual audio instead.