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Text to speech with word highlighting on iPhone

Tap the unlabelled highlighter icon at the right end of the File, URL and Scan row, then tap Speak. The word being spoken turns bold on a coloured background as it reads, and the text scrolls to keep up with it.

2 min read · Updated 2026-09-16

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Who reads better with highlighted words?

Seeing and hearing the same word at once helps you keep your place: people with dyslexia, readers with low vision, kids practising, language learners matching spelling to sound. It even helps me at 11pm on a dense contract I'm too tired to parse by eye alone.

Steps: turn on word highlighting

  1. Put the text in the box: type, paste, or use File, URL or Scan.
  2. Choose a voice in Voice that matches the language of the text.
  3. Tap the highlighter icon at the right end of the File, URL and Scan row. It has no label; it turns coloured when on.
  4. Set Speed. 0.75x is a comfortable start for reading along.
  5. Tap Speak. The box becomes a read-only view; each word turns bold on a coloured background as it is spoken, and the view scrolls with it.
  6. Tap Pause to stop on a word, Resume to go on, Stop to end and edit the text again.

Choosing a speed for reading along

Speed label and the iOS speech rate behind it (rate = 0.5 x multiplier)
Speed labeliOS rateTypical use while following along
0.50x0.25Word by word, new language
0.75x0.375Comfortable read-along
1.00x0.5Normal iOS speaking rate
1.25x0.625Confident readers

Speed returns to 1.00x each time you open the app, so set it again at the start of a session.

Tips

  • A higher-quality voice, marked [Premium] or [HD] in Voice, is easier to follow for long texts. These are free iOS downloads.
  • Turn the phone to landscape or use an iPad for bigger lines of text.
  • Scan a worksheet or a page of a book with Scan and read it along with highlighting on.
  • Use Pause often; the highlighted word shows exactly where you stopped.

Where highlighting works

Highlighting works for Speak on the main screen, including Read Translation and readings started by Siri. It does not appear in Study, Podcast or Batch, and it is not in saved audio files. Turn it on before you tap Speak.

It is free: highlighting is not a PRO feature, whatever some screens in the app suggest. The same daily allowance still applies to the reading itself: 1,000 characters for Speak and saved audio, plus 500 more per finished rewarded ad.

Common mistakes

  • Turning the highlighter on after tapping Speak: stop, turn it on, and start again.
  • Trying to edit while it reads: the box is read-only until you tap Stop.
  • Using a voice in the wrong language: the highlight still moves, but the pronunciation will not match the words.

Questions and answers

Is there a free text to speech app with highlighting for iPhone?
TTS highlights each word as it is spoken in the free version, within the 1,000 free characters a day plus 500 per rewarded ad.
Is TTS designed for dyslexia?
It is a general reading tool. Many readers with dyslexia find word highlighting and slower speech helpful, but the app makes no therapeutic claims.
Can I change the highlight colour?
No, the colour is fixed in this version.
Does highlighting work in Study mode?
No, only when you use Speak on the main screen.

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