Text to Speech for Studying: Listen to Notes on Repeat

Q: Is there a text to speech app for studying on iPhone?

TTS has a Study mode that repeats each section of your notes 1 to 10 times, with speed rising from a start to an end value you choose.

Q: Are my bookmarks saved?

No, only while the Study Mode sheet is open.

Why listen to your notes?

It's a second way in, not a replacement for reading them once properly first. Hearing the same definition three or four times in a row, for example while walking the dog, tends to make it stick more than staring at the page a fourth time. How many repeats you need is personal, so the app lets you pick 1 to 10 per section instead of promising a magic number that won't hold for everyone.

Prepare your notes

Study splits the text at blank lines. Each block between two empty lines becomes one section, such as a definition, a formula explanation, a vocabulary group or a paragraph of a speech.

Type or paste the notes into the box, or bring them in with File (PDF with text, TXT, RTF) or Scan (a photo of a printed page).
Press Return twice between the parts you want repeated together.
Keep sections short: a few sentences are easier to absorb than a full page.

Steps: study with repetitions

Choose a voice in Voice on the main screen. Study uses it.
Tap Study. The Study Mode sheet lists the sections it found, with a preview of each.
Under Speed Progression, set Start (0.75x by default) and End (1.00x by default).
Under Repetitions, use the stepper: three repetitions per section is the default, anything from 1 to 10 is possible.
Optional: tap the bookmark icon on the sections you find hard.
Tap Start Study to go through every section, or Study Bookmarked to hear only the bookmarked ones.
Tap Stop to end, and Close to leave.

How the speed rises with each repetition

The speed moves in equal steps from Start to End across the repetitions of each section. The first repetition is always at Start and the last at End. With one repetition only Start is used.

Speed of each repetition, from the app's formula: Start + (End - Start) x k / (repetitions - 1)
Settings	Rep 1	Rep 2	Rep 3	Rep 4	Rep 5
0.75x to 1.00x, 3 reps (default)	0.75x	0.875x	1.00x	-	-
0.50x to 1.25x, 4 reps	0.50x	0.75x	1.00x	1.25x	-
0.75x to 1.25x, 5 reps	0.75x	0.875x	1.00x	1.125x	1.25x

The screen shows only which repetition is playing, not its speed; the table shows what you are hearing. Start and End each go from 0.50x to 2.00x, and End can be lower than Start if you want it to slow down instead.

Tips for studying by listening

Start slow for new material, for example 0.50x to 1.00x, and end fast for revision, for example 1.00x to 1.50x.
Use bookmarks for the sections you keep getting wrong, then run Study Bookmarked at the end of the session.
Say the answer out loud before the next repetition starts; active recall beats passive listening.
To review away from the app, save a section as an audio file from the main screen with the tray-with-arrow icon.

Limits to know

Bookmarks and settings are not saved when you close the sheet. Finish a session before leaving it.
Study has no word highlighting and its pitch is fixed at 1.00x.
The app must stay open with the screen on; it does not read in the background.

Questions and answers

Is there a text to speech app for studying on iPhone?

TTS has a Study mode that repeats each section of your notes 1 to 10 times, with speed rising from a start to an end value you choose.

How many times do I need to listen to memorise something?

It varies between people and material, so there is no fixed number. Start with the default three repetitions and add more for the sections you bookmark as hard.

How does the app split my notes?

At blank lines. Each block between two empty lines becomes one section.

Are my bookmarks saved?

No, only while the Study Mode sheet is open.

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Text to speech for studying: hear your notes on repeat