How Word Highlighting Boosts Reading Efficiency and Accessibility
Word highlighting in text-to-speech (TTS) apps can significantly enhance the reading experience. For many users—especially those with dyslexia, ADHD, or language learners—having each word visually highlighted as it’s spoken transforms reading into a much more accessible and productive activity.
But for other users who prefer to listen with the screen off, highlighting might be redundant. Speech Central caters to both of these workflows by providing a fully customizable word highlighting feature.
Speech Central’s Advanced and Customizable Word Highlighter
Speech Central fully supports synchronized word highlighting, enabling you to follow along with ease. Customize highlighting colors to match your personal preferences or accessibility needs. However, it’s important to understand that the availability and effectiveness of word highlighting depend largely on the underlying TTS technology you choose.
Word Highlighting Support on Built-in Device Voices
- Apple (iOS, iPad, macOS): Apple’s built-in voices provide excellent support for real-time word highlighting. When using Speech Central on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you’ll have a smooth synchronized highlighting experience.
- Android (Google Voices): Google’s built-in voices come in two variations—device-generated and network-generated. Device-generated voices fully support word highlighting, while network-generated voices typically do not provide reliable highlighting feedback.
Third-Party Voices: Capability vs. Availability
Third-party voice providers (such as CereProc) technically can offer synchronized word highlighting. However, whether this capability is implemented varies by provider. Be sure to verify highlighting support with your chosen third-party TTS provider.
AI Cloud Voices and Word Highlighting: What You Need to Know
- Microsoft Azure: Generally supports synchronized word highlighting, though some advanced voices might not yet include this feature.
- OpenAI: Currently, OpenAI’s TTS voices do not support word highlighting. This is due to OpenAI’s internal token-based speech synthesis rather than word-level synchronization.
- Google Cloud: Google Cloud TTS voices technically support word highlighting, but the implementation requires extensive SSML markup, increasing text size and character usage significantly (more than doubling the consumption). Currently, Speech Central does not support this method but may consider it for future updates.
Choosing the Right TTS Technology for Optimal Highlighting
If synchronized word highlighting is essential for your workflow—especially if you depend on visual reinforcement while listening—Speech Central provides the flexibility and wide TTS technology support needed. Simply select the right combination of Speech Central and your TTS engine to ensure the best highlighting experience.