Hear any text, read to you.
Paste an email you’re proofing, a chapter you’d rather listen to, or your lecture notes. Lectern reads it back with a live highlight, using the voices already built into your browser. Free, private, and no account needed.
Ctrl+Enter start · Space pause · Esc stop. Click any word or the progress bar to jump.
Built for focus.
Private by design
Browser voices never leave this device. Cloud voices send text to Pollinations to generate audio.
Works offline
Device voices need no connection, so you can listen on a plane or a train.
Follow along
A live highlight tracks every word. Click any word to restart from there.
Quick help.
The voice list is empty or shows “System default”
Some browsers load voices a moment after the page opens, and a few don’t report any. Lectern keeps checking for several seconds and falls back to your system’s default voice, so reading still works. Chrome and Edge offer the most voices.
I hear no sound on my iPhone
Check that the ring/silent switch is off and your device volume is up. On iOS, the volume buttons control reading volume.
Can I upload a PDF or Word file?
This version opens .txt and .md files. For PDF or Word, copy the text from the document and paste it into the box.
Is my text sent anywhere?
Browser voices stay on this device. Cloud voices send the text you’re reading to Pollinations to generate audio. Download records audio on this device; it never uploads a browser-voice file.
Cloud voices fail or keep cutting out
Pollinations now requires an API key for any clip that isn’t already in their cache. Short test phrases can still play, then real text returns 401. Paste a key from enter.pollinations.ai, or use browser voices — those work offline and can be saved as audio.
Download is silent or the browser asks to share a tab
Built-in voices don’t give the page a file; Lectern records while they read. Choose this tab and turn on “Share tab audio” (or system audio). If the file is silent, share the whole screen with system audio instead — tab capture often misses speech on Linux.