SOLVED: How To Have Word Read Your Documents Out Loud

Have you ever needed to proof a document but have re-read it so many times that you find yourself skipping obvious spelling, grammar or logic errors?  Well, anyone who reads this site knows that I certainly do.  I am a tech who wants to convey clear instructions but often find myself struggling with final pass editing.

There is now an easy solution, the READ ALOUD feature in Microsoft Word which is using TTS or “Text To Speech” technology that Microsoft has had for decades.

In fact there are now four different read out-loud features that Microsoft users can make use of:

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1 – READ ALOUD

On the REVIEW TAB, click READ ALOUD ICON:

Keyboard Shortcut	Action
CTRL + Alt + Space	Start Read Aloud
CTRL + Space	Play or pause Read Aloud
CTRL + Left Arrow	Skip to start of previous paragraph
CTRL + Right Arrow	Skip forward to start of next paragraph
Alt + Left Arrow	Decrease reading speed
Alt + Right Arrow	Increase reading speed

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2 – SPEAK

Use the older Microsoft Text To Speech tool named SPEAK.

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3 – NARRATOR

In Windows 10, click the START button and type NARRATOR then put your mouse over anything you want it to read you.

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