Get Your Computer to Say What You Type [How To] [Updated]

By Rich on November 15, 2012 (158 Comments)

XP, Vista, 7, and Windows 8 come with a built in voice database, which you can access via the Microsoft SAPI (Speech Application Programming Interface); in this guide, you’ll learn how to get your computer to say what you type using one of three methods.

Speak to Me!

(Method 1) The easiest way to access this feature is through the Windows speech settings. If you’d like quick access, there’s also a script you can use to access the SAPI via Visual Basic (see below)

Press Start, type speech and click change text to speech settings
Type what you want said in the preview pane and click Preview Voice
Optional: Change the voice (options vary by operating system)

Method 2: Use a Quick Access Visual Basic Script

Copy the following text and paste it into Notepad (Windows Key, type notepad, press Enter)

CreateObject("sapi.spvoice").Speak(InputBox("Speak:"))

Thanks to Jon Davis for the condensed script.

Save the file as speak.vbs
Double-click on speak.vbs, type in your message, and press Enter

Have fun and be creative; you can have your computer greet you at login, for example. Having trouble with the script? See below for help.

Method 3: Use a Tool

If you’d rather skip the script, you can download the Windows Guides text to speech tool for quick access.

Help!

If the script didn’t work:

Your browser may display quotation marks in a different character set. Go back to the Notepad file and replace all the quotes [ ” ] using your keyboard. Save the file and try again.

If the script is error free but it’s still not working, you do not have the SAPI installed on your computer. Download download the SDK and SAPI here

About Rich

Rich is the owner and creator of Windows Guides; he spends his time breaking things on his PC so he can write how-to guides to fix the problems he creates.

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Comments

Paul

But I’m sure that instead of thinking introspectively about the implications of all this, you’ll simply delete all except my first post. That way, your users will probably think you’re clever, instead of just a jack***.
Paul

Or, a la Rich:

Child: “Mum, my shoelaces don’t match my shoes.”
Parent: “OK son, we’ll replace them.”
Child: “With what?”
Parent: “New shoelaces of course! My god you’re a stupid kid.”
Paul

The double quotes aren’t broken like the shoelace – they’re the WRONG double-quotes.

Child: “Mum, my shoelaces don’t match my shoes.”
Parent: “OK son, we’ll replace them.”
Child: “With what?”
Parent: “Hmm.. I don’t know – hadn’t thought of that. What kind of shoelaces do you think will match your shoes?”
Paul

The double quotes aren’t broken like the shoelace – they’re the WRONG double-quotes.

Child: “Mum, my shoelaces don’t match my shoes.”
Parent: “OK son, we’ll replace them.”
Child: “With what?”
Parent: “Hmm.. I don’t know – hadn’t thought of that. What kind of shoelaces do you think will match your shoes?”
Paul

Or, a la Rich:

Child: “Mum, my shoelaces don’t match my shoes.”
Parent: “OK son, we’ll replace them.”
Child: “With what?”
Parent: “New shoelaces of course! My god you’re a stupid kid.”
Paul

But I’m sure that instead of thinking introspectively about the implications of all this, you’ll simply delete all except my first post. That way, your users will probably think you’re clever, instead of just a jack***.
Paul

The double quotes aren’t broken like the shoelace – they’re the WRONG double-quotes.

Child: “Mum, my shoelaces don’t match my shoes.”
Parent: “OK son, we’ll replace them.”
Child: “With what?”
Parent: “Hmm.. I don’t know – hadn’t thought of that. What kind of shoelaces do you think will match your shoes?”
Paul

Or, a la Rich:

Child: “Mum, my shoelaces don’t match my shoes.”
Parent: “OK son, we’ll replace them.”
Child: “With what?”
Parent: “New shoelaces of course! My god you’re a stupid kid.”
Paul

But I’m sure that instead of thinking introspectively about the implications of all this, you’ll simply delete all except my first post. That way, your users will probably think you’re clever, instead of just a jack***.
Paul

And to all the idiots with the lame comments…. This is NOT a cool little VB script. It simply launches a program with a parameter. Like everyone is saying, this has been around for at least 15 or 20 years. I remember playing with it on my Atari 520 ST. And like some other guy said, you can access it from the control panel.

How about you make a bunch more “cool little VB scripts” that launch other programs for us? Eventually we’d have a shell replacement!
Paul

And to all the idiots with the lame comments…. This is NOT a cool little VB script. It simply launches a program with a parameter. Like everyone is saying, this has been around for at least 15 or 20 years. I remember playing with it on my Atari 520 ST. And like some other guy said, you can access it from the control panel.

How about you make a bunch more “cool little VB scripts” that launch other programs for us? Eventually we’d have a shell replacement!
Paul

And to all the idiots with the lame comments…. This is NOT a cool little VB script. It simply launches a program with a parameter. Like everyone is saying, this has been around for at least 15 or 20 years. I remember playing with it on my Atari 520 ST. And like some other guy said, you can access it from the control panel.

How about you make a bunch more “cool little VB scripts” that launch other programs for us? Eventually we’d have a shell replacement!
Rich

@Paul’s first response – Exactly – in ASCII there are different types of quotes (” and “), so by simply replacing them in Notepad, this will fix it.
Rich

@Paul’s first response – Exactly – in ASCII there are different types of quotes (” and “), so by simply replacing them in Notepad, this will fix it.
Rich

@Paul’s first response – Exactly – in ASCII there are different types of quotes (” and “), so by simply replacing them in Notepad, this will fix it.
Melufa

good work
Melufa

good work
Melufa

good work
mega man

how do you download this **** ?
mega man

how do you download this **** ?
mega man

how do you download this **** ?
Jon Davis

>>
So if I remove the existing double quotes (”) and replace them with new instances of the double quotes (”) it will work?
<<

Yes. Just do it in Notepad. It converts higher unicode characters to ASCII equivalents. ( ” becomes " .)

Quit whining. You're making yourself look stupid.
http://www.jondavis.net/ Jon Davis

>>
So if I remove the existing double quotes (”) and replace them with new instances of the double quotes (”) it will work?
<<

Yes. Just do it in Notepad. It converts higher unicode characters to ASCII equivalents. ( ” becomes ” .)

Quit whining. You’re making yourself look stupid.
http://www.jondavis.net/ Jon Davis

>>
So if I remove the existing double quotes (”) and replace them with new instances of the double quotes (”) it will work?
<<

Yes. Just do it in Notepad. It converts higher unicode characters to ASCII equivalents. ( ” becomes ” .)

Quit whining. You’re making yourself look stupid.
The Windows Guides Text to Spe

[…] I showed you how to write a simple VBScript that takes input by text converts it into speech.this script proved to be quite popular and […]
Al

if anyone knows how to save it plz post it in a coment
Al

if anyone knows how to save it plz post it in a coment
Al

if anyone knows how to save it plz post it in a coment
topwebpost.com

Get Your Computer to Say What You Type…

Windows comes with a built in voice system, which I wanted to utilize recently. In this guide, you’ll learn a Visual Basic script that is only a few lines, which will give you a popup box you can use to type in anything you want your computer to say….
Pingback: topwebpost.com
sijaypogi

that was AWSOME
sijaypogi

that was AWSOME
sijaypogi

that was AWSOME
Marebear2406

Awesome voice system. Thanks for sharing. I signed up for the free computer software and tips. I looked forward to all the neat ideas I will be receiving. =]
http://www.twitter.com/marebear2406 Marebear2406

Awesome voice system. Thanks for sharing. I signed up for the free computer software and tips. I looked forward to all the neat ideas I will be receiving. =]
http://www.twitter.com/marebear2406 Marebear2406

Awesome voice system. Thanks for sharing. I signed up for the free computer software and tips. I looked forward to all the neat ideas I will be receiving. =]
John Bates

Thank’s for the speech info….
I found this really easy to do. I also wonder if some people are putting in the ‘ before and after speak.vbs
If you are then you are doing it wrong…. Leave out the ‘ …….
Just got to figure out how to change the voice now…
John Bates

Thank’s for the speech info….
I found this really easy to do. I also wonder if some people are putting in the ‘ before and after speak.vbs
If you are then you are doing it wrong…. Leave out the ‘ …….
Just got to figure out how to change the voice now…
John Bates

Thank’s for the speech info….
I found this really easy to do. I also wonder if some people are putting in the ‘ before and after speak.vbs
If you are then you are doing it wrong…. Leave out the ‘ …….
Just got to figure out how to change the voice now…
yasmin_sandhar

Hello
Navysealgirl1989

that is freaking awesome
Ngoahamos

superb
binny2000

Hello x
Lily

Yayyy! That is too freakin’ cool. Thanx a lot! <3
Jminner29

i DO NOT KNOW HOW TO GET TO IT =( YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT THE HECK JK
http://profiles.google.com/william.sengdara William Sengdara

Does this work on Windows 7?
I tried but failed. I use TTS to read subtitles while I watch movies, so I don’t have to read the text every time. Freaking cool. But does not work on Win 7.
kokobear1234

what is the program?
Soccerboy6758

can you change the voice?
- Uvais
  
  Try this
  http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Get_new_microsoft_narrator_voices
LoLGuy

coolxD
NM1994

thank you!! :) now i can annoy people and they wont know its me :)

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