SpeakCoveTo open a TXT file and hear it read aloud on any device, drop it into SpeakCove's free web reader at speakcove.com/text-to-speech, or paste the text: it reads it in 10 voices and 31 languages, with no sign-up and no length limit, and the file never leaves your browser. For a novel-length file you want to come back to, the free SpeakCove app for iPhone keeps it offline with your exact sentence saved.
A TXT file holds plain characters and line breaks, nothing else: no fonts, no images, no chapters and no table of contents. It is the format of exported notes, chat logs, transcripts, README files and the plain-text editions of public-domain books. The one technical catch is encoding. A TXT file doesn't say whether it was saved as UTF-8 or an older encoding like Windows-1252 or windows-1251, and the wrong guess turns accents and Cyrillic letters into garbled symbols. Save as UTF-8 and almost any app reads it correctly.
The Challenge
- Encoding: older TXT files saved as Windows-1252, Mac Roman or windows-1251 can show "é" instead of "é", or nonsense instead of Cyrillic, in apps that expect UTF-8.
- No structure: there are no chapters or headings to jump between, so in a long file the only ways to navigate are scrolling and search.
- Length: a novel as TXT is hundreds of thousands of characters. Files can preview it, but pasting it into Notes to have it spoken is slow and loses your place.
How to Listen with SpeakCove
1Open the file in the free web reader
On a computer or phone, go to speakcove.com/text-to-speech, choose Open a book or document and pick the .txt file, or paste the text into the box. It works in current Chrome, Edge and Safari.
2Fix garbled characters with UTF-8
If accents or non-Latin letters look wrong, open the file in a text editor on your computer, save it with UTF-8 encoding, and open the new copy.
3Press Play
Pick one of 10 voices and a speed from 0.75x to 1.75x. The sentence being read is highlighted. The first Play downloads the voices once, about 100 MB.
4For long texts on iPhone, import into SpeakCove
In the browser, reading stops when the iPhone locks. In the free SpeakCove app (iOS 26 or later), share the file from Files, Mail or a Safari download, or tap + > Import File. Press play with Serena or Max, the two free voices. Since a TXT file has no chapters, scroll to any page and tap a sentence to start from there.
5Use the sleep timer for long texts
In the app, set the timer to 5, 10, 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Playback stops by itself, and SpeakCove keeps the page and sentence for next time.
Other Methods
Files preview with Speak Screen
- Built into iOS, no extra app
- Fine for a short note
- Reads the file name and toolbar along with the text
- Uses the iOS system voices
- No saved place: close the preview and you start over
Paste into Notes and use Speak Screen
- Notes is on every iPhone
- Works for a few paragraphs
- Pasting a whole book is slow and makes Notes sluggish
- No saved place in the text
- Still reads everything on the screen
Use the EPUB edition instead
- For public-domain books, the EPUB edition keeps chapter headings and formatting
- SpeakCove's Explore screen imports Project Gutenberg books as EPUB
- Only works when an EPUB edition exists
- Your own notes and transcripts are usually TXT only
Listening with SpeakCove
- The free web reader opens .txt files, or pasted text, in any current browser and reads them aloud with all 10 voices, no sign-up and no length limit.
- The iPhone app opens TXT files of any length, from a short note to a full novel.
- Works offline in the app: reading and voices run on your iPhone, even in airplane mode.
- Saves the exact page and sentence, which matters in a file with no chapters to jump to.
- Tap any sentence to start there, the quickest way to move around a plain text file.
- Free with two voices and 31 languages. Premium ($14.99 once) adds 8 voices, lock-screen and background playback, and CarPlay.
Free Text to Speech, Right in Your Browser
Paste text or open any file (PDF, EPUB, Word, scans and more) and press Play. SpeakCove reads it aloud with natural voices in 31 languages. It's free, with no sign-up and no length limit, and your text never leaves your browser.
Open the reader →Try SpeakCove Free. No sign-up required. Start listening in seconds.
One-time purchase, no subscription
Free to start with 2 voices and every format. $14.99 once unlocks all 10 voices, background playback and CarPlay. No subscription, ever.
Listen in the car with CarPlay
Your documents on your car's screen and speakers, with CarPlay in Premium.
Works offline, fully on-device
Your documents never leave your device. The app has no analytics and no ads, and reading and voices work in airplane mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I open a TXT file and have it read aloud?
- Open it in SpeakCove's free web reader at speakcove.com/text-to-speech, or paste its text, and press Play. It works in current Chrome, Edge and Safari, with 10 voices, 31 languages, no sign-up and no length limit. On iPhone, the free SpeakCove app also saves your place and works offline.
- Can SpeakCove handle very long TXT files?
- Yes. There is no file size or word limit in the web reader or the app. In the app, a long novel is laid out as many pages, and your place is saved as you go.
- Does SpeakCove detect chapters in TXT files?
- No. Plain text has no chapter markup. Scroll to the page you want and tap a sentence, or use the EPUB edition of a book if one exists.
- Why do some characters look garbled?
- The file was probably saved in an older encoding such as Windows-1252 or windows-1251. Re-save it as UTF-8 in a text editor and import it again.
- Can I listen to a TXT file offline?
- Yes, in the iPhone app. Once imported, the file is read and spoken on your iPhone with no internet connection.
- Is SpeakCove free for TXT files?
- Yes. All ten supported formats, including TXT, are free with no ads, no account and no time limits. Premium adds 8 voices, background and lock-screen playback, and CarPlay for $14.99 once.
- Should I download Project Gutenberg books as TXT or EPUB?
- EPUB. It keeps chapter headings and formatting, and SpeakCove's Explore screen imports Gutenberg books as EPUB directly, so you don't need to download anything in Safari.