How to Tell If a Kindle Book Allows Voice to Text
By Melissa King
Your Kindle has an easy-to-read screen that mimics the look of pages in a book. If you don't want to read e-books and other content yourself, the Kindle also has an accessibility feature called Text-to-Speech. With the feature activated, the Kindle will read books, newspapers and magazines to you in a male or female voice. Text-to-Speech is useful if you need a hands-free way to use the Kindle when you're driving or working. Not all Kindle books support Text-to-Speech, though. You can find out whether a book supports this feature by looking at its information page in the Kindle Store.
On Your Kindle
Step 1
Power on the Kindle and turn Whispernet on if it isn't already activated. Highlight "Turn Wireless On," then press in on the five-way controller.
Step 2
Press "Menu," then highlight and select "Shop in Kindle Store."
Step 3
Type your search term, such as the name of a book or an author, in the search bar at the bottom of the screen. Select "Search Store." If you don't have a search term, select a category to view all content in that category.
Step 4
Highlight and select a book to see its product detail page. Look for "Text-to-Speech: Enabled" in the features list. If you don't see this, the item doesn't support the feature.
On Your Computer
Step 1
Navigate to the Kindle Store on the Amazon.com website (see Resources).
Step 2
Enter a search term in the search bar, then click "Go." Alternatively, select a category from the Browse section.
Step 3
Click on an item to see its product detail page. Scroll down to Product Details and look for "Text-to-Speech: Enabled." If the feature says "Not Enabled," Text-to-Speech for this item will not work on your Kindle.
References
Tips
- To enable Text-to-Speech on your Kindle Fire, touch the middle of the screen, then touch "Settings."
- On the Kindle Touch, touch the top of the screen, then tap "Menu." Tap "Turn on Text-to-Speech."
- For the Kindle DX, Kindle Keyboard or Kindle 2nd Generation, press the "Text (Aa)" key while reading an item. Highlight "Text-to-Speech" and press "Text" again.
Warnings
- The Kindle Fire 1st Generation does not support Text-to-Speech.
Writer Bio
Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.