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Read aloud keeps playing as you move around the site, so you can browse or check comments while it continues in the background. If playback has stopped unexpectedly, see Troubleshooting instead of this page.
Browser voices vs. AI voices#
Read aloud has two engines:
- Browser voices: your device's built-in text-to-speech, free for every reader.
- AI voices: narration generated by RandomTranslator, available to $12 tier patrons and higher (and staff accounts).
If you're not on a qualifying tier, read aloud uses browser voices by default. You can still select an AI voice in Display Settings, but playing it prompts you to upgrade rather than playing back.
Starting and stopping#
Select the read-aloud icon in the chapter's top bar or bottom bar to open the player and start reading from where you are. You can also open the paragraph menu on any paragraph (see The Reader) and choose Read from here to start from that specific paragraph.
To stop, select the close button on the player.
Playback controls#
Voice and speed controls live in Display Settings, under the Speech tab.
| Control | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Speech Speed | 0.5x–4.0x | Browser voices don't speed up meaningfully past about 2.5x; the underlying engine garbles speech faster than that |
| Speech Pitch | 0.5–1.5 | Browser voices only |
| Voice (browser) | Your device's installed voices, plus "System default" | Comes from your OS/browser |
| Voice (AI) | Accent (US Female, US Male, UK Female, UK Male), then a specific voice within it | Selecting a voice plays a short preview |
Sleep timer#
Set a sleep timer from the player to stop narration automatically:
| Option |
|---|
| Off |
| 15 minutes |
| 30 minutes |
| 45 minutes |
| 1 hour |
| End of chapter |
When the timer expires, playback pauses in place. The player stays open, so you can resume from where it stopped.
Back to narration#
If you scroll away from the paragraph currently being read, a Narration pill appears. Selecting it scrolls you back to that paragraph; it doesn't change playback, so if narration has moved on, the pill takes you to the paragraph currently being read, not where you left off.
Auto-advance#
Auto-advance chapters (on by default, in Display Settings → Speech) controls what happens when read aloud reaches the end of a chapter. With it on, and a next chapter available, read aloud moves on and keeps reading automatically. With it off, or with no next chapter, playback stops at the end of the chapter.
When a paragraph fails#
If a paragraph fails to play, read aloud retries briefly and then, if it still can't play, skips it and continues with the next one. No error is shown for a single failed paragraph.
Known limits#
- AI voices are limited to $12 tier patrons and higher.
- Previewing a voice while choosing one in Display Settings is capped at 100 previews per day.
- On mobile, timers can run slower while your screen is locked, and closing the browser or app can interrupt playback.
- AI-voice playback shows the novel and chapter title on your device's lock screen; browser voices don't support this.