How to Use Kindle Text To Speech

By Julius Vandersteen

If you use a Kindle reader to read electronic books and other documents, you might sometimes prefer to have the device read text aloud to you. The Kindle is a battery-powered portable device made by Amazon that can connect wirelessly to the Internet to download books and other printed documents. The Kindle has a text-to-speech feature that enables you to have the device read material to you through headphones or the built-in speakers.

Step 1

Press the power button on the bottom of the Kindle to turn it on.

Step 2

Press the Home button to see a list of your documents.

Step 3

Press the five-way controller to navigate to a book, newspaper or other document that you want to read, then press the center of the controller to open the document. If you have a Kindle Touch, tap near the top of the screen to bring up the Menu.

Step 4

Press the Text key, which is marked with the letters “Aa” and is located next to the space bar on the front of the Kindle, then press the five-way controller to underline the “Turn On” option for “Text-to-Speech.” Alternatively, if you have a Kindle Touch, tap "Turn On Text-to-Speech" and the Kindle starts reading. Press the controller to highlight the male or female voice option, then press the option to select it. On the Kindle Touch, tap the radio button next to the male or female options.

Step 5

Press the controller to select “Turn On.” The Kindle starts reading the text aloud from the built-in speakers or from headphones that you plug into the headphone jack at the bottom of the device next to the “Plus-Minus” volume control buttons.

Step 6

Press the “Space” bar to pause the reading and press it again to resume reading. On the Kindle Touch, tap the play/pause button to start and stop reading.

Step 7

Press the “Shift” key (marked with an arrow) and the “Sym” key simultaneously to stop the Text-to-Speech reading. On the Kindle Touch, tap the top of the screen to bring up the Text-to-Speech options and tap the play/pause button or the "Off" button to stop the reading.