The read aloud app for PDFs and academic texts
Tailo’s text reading voice reads any academic document aloud so you can listen, follow along, and keep going
How read aloud supports the way you study
Unlike Google read aloud tools that work only on basic web text, Tailo’s text reading voice works across every academic document in your library, PDFs, Word files, articles, and more.
Support for dyslexia and visual stress
Reading aloud through Tailo reduces the visual strain that makes long academic texts particularly hard for students with dyslexia or visual stress. Listen at your own pace with a text-to-speech voice that reads aloud clearly and naturally.
Maintain concentration for longer
Listening is often easier to sustain than reading for extended periods. Tailo’s Read Aloud feature lets you read out loud your notes and readings through audio, avoiding the fatigue that comes from screen-heavy study sessions.
Works on every document in your Tailo library
Whether you uploaded a PDF, saved a web page through the Chrome extension, or found a paper via Source Search, the Read Aloud words feature works across your entire Tailo library.
Listen alongside your other Tailo tools
Explain This and Define work across every document type in Tailo, whether it is an uploaded PDF, a saved web page, or a journal article from Source Search.
A different route into difficult academic content
Not everyone reads the same way, and not every session happens under ideal conditions. Sometimes the words stop going in. Tailo’s text reading voice gives you a different way into the same material. Listening to academic content read out loud activates a different kind of attention, one that is often easier to hold when visual reading is not working. Unlike standalone book apps that read to you, it sits inside your existing reading workflow with all your other study tools still available.
See read aloud in action
Watch Tailo’s text-to-voice turn any academic document into clear, natural audio in seconds.
FAQs
From how Read Aloud works to who it is built for, here are the questions students ask us most.
What is Tailo's read aloud feature?
Read Aloud is a text reading voice tool that reads any document in your Tailo library aloud. Unlike Google Docs read aloud or basic web reader tools, it is designed specifically for academic content, including dense PDFs, journal articles, and lecture notes. You can adjust the reading speed, follow along with the text on screen, and use other Tailo features while it plays.
Is Read Aloud the same as the Podcasts feature?
No. Read Aloud reads the full document word for word using a text reading voice, exactly as it is written. Podcasts creates a condensed, conversational summary of the content instead. Use Read Aloud when you need the full detail read out loud, and Podcasts when you want a quicker overview of what a paper is about.
Can I control the speed of the Read Aloud voice?
Yes. Tailo’s text reading voice is fully adjustable. Slow it down to follow along more carefully with complex material, or speed it up when you are revisiting familiar content. The reading speed setting is accessible directly in the Read Aloud controls and updates instantly without interrupting the audio.
Does Read Aloud work on all documents in Tailo?
Yes. The read aloud words feature works across every document type in your Tailo library, including uploaded PDFs, Word documents, web pages saved through the Chrome extension, and articles found via Source Search. There is no restriction on which documents you can listen to, provided they are already in your Tailo library.
Can I highlight or annotate while Read Aloud is playing?
Yes. Tailo is designed so Read Aloud and your other reading tools work in parallel. While the text reading voice plays, you can highlight key sections, add comments, and use Explain This on anything that needs more clarity. You do not need to pause the audio to keep annotating.
How does Tailo's Read Aloud feature help with disability-specific barriers?
Read Aloud helps with a wide range of barriers to academic reading — whether that’s finding it hard to process written text visually, losing your place easily, getting fatigued or experiencing eye strain from screen time, or simply retaining information better by listening than reading. The text highlights as it’s read, so you can follow along word by word without losing track of where you are, and you can listen anywhere, at your own pace, on desktop or with headphones.
For more on the specific barriers Tailo supports, see our Who We Help page.
Trusted by students at universities across the UK
Thousands of students are already using Tailo’s Read Aloud feature to listen to their reading, from first-year undergraduates to postgraduates managing heavy research loads.
Tailo is used across UK universities and is available to all students, including those accessing support through the Disabled Students’ Allowance.
Francesca
I’ve been doing really well at uni – Tailo helps me focus on what matters.
Chase
I use Talio all the time now for all of my reading, I'm no longer skimming the reading lists in a panic before classes to get a vague idea of what's going on.
Jesse
I was sceptical because I didn’t think that Tailo would change the way that I engaged with information as much as it did. Just try it and you won’t uninstall it.
Megan
I have used ChatGPT to summarise a piece of text before, however Tailo is much better. I prefer how Tailo works and I feel it is more reliable.
