speech text

SpeechTexter is a free multilingual speech-to-text application aimed at assisting you with transcription of notes, documents, books, reports or blog posts by using your voice. This app also features a customizable voice commands list, allowing users to add punctuation marks, frequently used phrases, and some app actions (undo, redo, make a new paragraph).

SpeechTexter is used daily by students, teachers, writers, bloggers around the world.

It will assist you in minimizing your writing efforts significantly.

Voice-to-text software is exceptionally valuable for people who have difficulty using their hands due to trauma, people with dyslexia or disabilities that limit the use of conventional input devices. Speech to text technology can also be used to improve accessibility for those with hearing impairments, as it can convert speech into text.

It can also be used as a tool for learning a proper pronunciation of words in the foreign language, in addition to helping a person develop fluency with their speaking skills.

Accuracy levels higher than 90% should be expected. It varies depending on the language and the speaker.

No download, installation or registration is required. Just click the microphone button and start dictating.

Speech to text technology is quickly becoming an essential tool for those looking to save time and increase their productivity.

Powerful real-time continuous speech recognition

Creation of text notes, emails, blog posts, reports and more.

Custom voice commands

More than 70 languages supported

SpeechTexter is using Google Speech recognition to convert the speech into text in real-time. This technology is supported by Chrome browser (for desktop) and some browsers on Android OS. Other browsers have not implemented speech recognition yet.

Note: iPhones and iPads are not supported

List of supported languages:

Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Khmer, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian Bokmål, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Southern Sotho, Spanish, Sundanese, Swahili, Swati, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tsonga, Tswana, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Venda, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu.

Instructions for web app on desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux OS)

Requirements: the latest version of the Google Chrome [↗] browser (other browsers are not supported).

1. Connect a high-quality microphone to your computer.

2. Make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device on your browser.

To go directly to microphone's settings paste the line below into Chrome's URL bar.

chrome://settings/content/microphone

To capture speech from video/audio content on the web or from a file stored on your device, select 'Stereo Mix' as the default audio input.

3. Select the language you would like to speak (Click the button on the top right corner).

4. Click the "microphone" button. Chrome browser will request your permission to access your microphone. Choose "allow".

5. You can start dictating!

Instructions for the web app on a mobile and for the android app

Requirements: - Google app [↗] installed on your Android device. - Any of the supported browsers if you choose to use the web app.

Supported android browsers (not a full list): Chrome browser (recommended), Edge, Opera, Brave, Vivaldi.

1. Tap the button with the language name (on a web app) or language code (on android app) on the top right corner to select your language.

2. Tap the microphone button. The SpeechTexter app will ask for permission to record audio. Choose 'allow' to enable microphone access.

3. You can start dictating!

Common problems on a desktop (Windows, Mac, Linux OS)

Error: 'speechtexter cannot access your microphone'..

Please give permission to access your microphone.

Click on the "padlock" icon next to the URL bar, find the "microphone" option, and choose "allow".

Error: 'No speech was detected. Please try again'.

If you get this error while you are speaking, make sure your microphone is set as the default recording device on your browser [see step 2].

If you're using a headset, make sure the mute switch on the cord is off.

Error: 'Network error'

The internet connection is poor. Please try again later.

The result won't transfer to the "editor".

The result confidence is not high enough or there is a background noise. An accumulation of long text in the buffer can also make the engine stop responding, please make some pauses in the speech.

The results are wrong.

Please speak loudly and clearly. Speaking clearly and consistently will help the software accurately recognize your words.

Reduce background noise. Background noise from fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, etc. can drop the accuracy significantly. Try to reduce background noise as much as possible.

Speak directly into the microphone. Speaking directly into the microphone enhances the accuracy of the software. Avoid speaking too far away from the microphone.

Speak in complete sentences. Speaking in complete sentences will help the software better recognize the context of your words.

Can I upload an audio file and get the transcription?

No, this feature is not available.

How do I transcribe an audio (video) file on my PC or from the web?

Playback your file in any player and hit the 'mic' button on the SpeechTexter website to start capturing the speech. For better results select "Stereo Mix" as the default recording device on your browser, if you are accessing SpeechTexter and the file from the same device.

I don't see the "Stereo mix" option (Windows OS)

"Stereo Mix" might be hidden or it's not supported by your system. If you are a Windows user go to 'Control panel' → Hardware and Sound → Sound → 'Recording' tab. Right-click on a blank area in the pane and make sure both "View Disabled Devices" and "View Disconnected Devices" options are checked. If "Stereo Mix" appears, you can enable it by right clicking on it and choosing 'enable'. If "Stereo Mix" hasn't appeared, it means it's not supported by your system. You can try using a third-party program such as "Virtual Audio Cable" or "VB-Audio Virtual Cable" to create a virtual audio device that includes "Stereo Mix" functionality.

How to use the voice commands list?

The voice commands list allows you to insert the punctuation, some text, or run some preset functions using only your voice. On the first column you enter your voice command. On the second column you enter a punctuation mark or a function. Voice commands are case-sensitive. Available functions: #newparagraph (add a new paragraph), #undo (undo the last change), #redo (redo the last change)

To use the function above make a pause in your speech until all previous dictated speech appears in your note, then say "insert a new paragraph" and wait for the command execution.

Found a mistake in the voice commands list or want to suggest an update? Follow the steps below:

• Navigate to the voice commands list [↑] on this website.
• Click on the edit button to update or add new punctuation marks you think other users might find useful in your language.
• Click on the "Export" button located above the voice commands list to save your list in JSON format to your device.

Next, send us your file as an attachment via email. You can find the email address at the bottom of the page. Feel free to include a brief description of the mistake or the updates you're suggesting in the email body.

Your contribution to the improvement of the services is appreciated.

Can I prevent my custom voice commands from disappearing after closing the browser?

SpeechTexter by default saves your data inside your browser's cache. If your browsers clears the cache your data will be deleted. However, you can export your custom voice commands to your device and import them when you need them by clicking the corresponding buttons above the list. SpeechTexter is using JSON format to store your voice commands. You can create a .txt file in this format on your device and then import it into SpeechTexter. An example of JSON format is shown below:

{ "period": ".", "full stop": ".", "question mark": "?", "new paragraph": "#newparagraph" }

I lost my dictated work after closing the browser.

SpeechTexter doesn't store any text that you dictate. Please use the "autosave" option or click the "download" button (recommended). The "autosave" option will try to store your work inside your browser's cache, where it will remain until you switch the "text autosave" option off, clear the cache manually, or if your browser clears the cache on exit.

Common problems on the Android app

I get the message: 'speech recognition is not available'..

'Google app' from Play store is required for SpeechTexter to work. download [↗]

Where does SpeechTexter store the saved files?

Version 1.5 and above stores the files in the internal memory.

Version 1.4.9 and below stores the files inside the "SpeechTexter" folder at the root directory of your device.

After updating the app from version 1.x.x to version 2.x.x my files have disappeared

As a result of recent updates, the Android operating system has implemented restrictions that prevent users from accessing folders within the Android root directory, including SpeechTexter's folder. However, your old files can still be imported manually by selecting the "import" button within the Speechtexter application.

Common problems on the mobile web app

Tap on the "padlock" icon next to the URL bar, find the "microphone" option and choose "allow".

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• Play Store [↗]

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Speech to Text Converter

Descript instantly turns speech into text in real time. Just start recording and watch our AI speech recognition transcribe your voice—with 95% accuracy—into text that’s ready to edit or export.

How to automatically convert speech to text with Descript

Create a project in Descript, select record, and choose your microphone input to start a recording session. Or upload a voice file to convert the audio to text.

As you speak into your mic, Descript’s speech-to-text software turns what you say into text in real time. Don’t worry about filler words or mistakes; Descript makes it easy to find and remove those from both the generated text and recorded audio.

Enter Correct mode (press the C key) to edit, apply formatting, highlight sections, and leave comments on your speech-to-text transcript. Filler words will be highlighted, which you can remove by right clicking to remove some or all instances. When ready, export your text as HTML, Markdown, Plain text, Word file, or Rich Text format.

Download the app for free

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Speech to Text

• 3 Create a new project Drag your file into the box above, or click Select file and import it from your computer or wherever it lives.

Expand Descript’s online voice recognition powers with an expandable transcription glossary to recognize hard-to-translate words like names and jargon.

Record yourself talking and turn it into text, audio, and video that’s ready to edit in Descript’s timeline. You can format, search, highlight, and other actions you’d perform in a Google Doc, while taking advantage of features like  text-to-speec h, captions, and more.

Go from speech to text in over 22 different languages, plus English. Transcribe audio in  French ,  Spanish , Italian, German and other languages from around the world. Finnish? Oh we’re just getting started.

Yes, basic real-time speech to text conversion is included for free with most modern devices (Android, Mac, etc.) Descript also offers a 95% accurate text-to-speech converter for up to 1 hour per month for free.

Speech-to-text conversion works by using AI and large quantities of diverse training data to recognize the acoustic qualities of specific words, despite the different speech patterns and accents people have, to generate it as text.

Yes! Descript‘s AI-powered Overdub feature lets you not only turn speech to text but also generate human-sounding speech from a script in your choice of AI stock voices.

Descript supports speech-to-text conversion in Catalan, Finnish, Lithuanian, Slovak, Croatian, French (FR), Malay, Slovenian, Czech, German, Norwegian, Spanish (US), Danish, Hungarian, Polish, Swedish, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese (BR), Turkish.

Descript’s included AI transcription offers up to 95% accurate speech to text generation. We also offer a white glove pay-per-word transcription service and 99% accuracy. Expanding your transcription glossary makes the automatic transcription more accurate over time.

Google Chrome Required

Please open dictation.io inside Google Chrome to use speech recognition.

Cannot Access Microphone

Please follow this guide for instructions on how to unblock your microphone.

Dictation is now publishing your note online. Please wait..

Speed is the rate at which the selected voice will speak your transcribed text while the pitch governs how high or low the voice speaks.

Speak Reset

Transcribe Speech to Text with Advanced AI

Boost productivity as SpeakApp AI swiftly and accurately records, transcribes and rewrites your spoken words in a single tap.

Voice note taking

Record and summarize meetings

Write emails, messages, blog posts with your voice

Get SpeakApp for free

Trusted by 100,000+ users

Our users get more done faster. See what they have to say:

“I have to admit I’m impressed. The accuracy and ability to summarize, translate, and create bullet points from spoken content.”

Wade Warren

“This app is on point. Not even a single miss, best speech to text app I've come across!”

“I so enjoy a possibility to record different audio texts in English and get a decent transcription immediately! Works as a miracle! Even recognizes Estonian! Love it!”

Kristin Watson

“Transcribe perfectamente en tiempo real, y corrige manteniendo el espíritu de lo dicho.Tiene la posibilidad de cambiar la forma de escritura, de varias maneras.Muy recomendable!!”

Martina Martinez

“I am in the process of writing a novel. SpeakApp has helped me a lot in translating everything that is going on in my head and writing down the first features of the scenes that come to my mind. Then I arrange them and formulate them with details at the time of writing, so it deserves all the stars.”

Olivia Alden

Instant voice-to-text transcription

How SpeakApp works

Transcribe with 99% accuracy

Record your voice and have it instantly transcribed into text. Whether you're capturing personal notes while on the move, brainstorming fresh ideas, or organizing your day, SpeakApp is there to streamline your thoughts into written form.

Instant voice-to-text conversion

Instant voice transcription

High-quality transcriptions

AI-Powered text cleanup

Transcribe now

Import recording from other apps

Have a recording in another app? Simply import it to SpeakApp and get instant transcription.

Transcribe voice messages from messengers

Transcribe from files and Voice Memos

Import from other apps

Import your recordings

Meeting summaries are now easier than ever

Record your discussions, and SpeakApp will provide you with concise summaries and bullet points. Imagine drafting emails with your voice on the go. Speak into the app, apply the email filter, and voilà – you get clean, professionally punctuated text ready for sending.

Instant summarization

Change tone and rewrite with AI

Draft email, tasks, any communication on the go

Start recording

Create blog post with your voice

Content creators, say goodbye to the hassle of typing out your blog posts. With SpeakApp, your spoken ideas are instantly ready for publishing, enabling you to create content effortlessly, wherever inspiration strikes.

Create content anywhere, anytime

Write tweets, blog posts, or articles with your voice

Rewrite with AI in one tap

Start creating

Translate your voice in 30+ different languages instantly

SpeakApp automatically detects your language and can transcribe it in the same language or instantly translate it into 30+ languages. Write professionally in a foreign language by simply speaking in your own language.

SpeakApp offers automatic language detection, allowing you to transcribe in your native language or instantly translate it into 20 languages. Effortlessly compose professional content in a foreign language by speaking in your native tongue.

Auto-Detect Language

Grammar-Perfect Translations

Easy Language Switch

Get your translations

Who is it for?

We built our app for many use-cases

Everyday Users

Turn voice into text for notes, tasks, or messages on the go, keeping life organized and clear.

Professionals

Boost productivity with voice-driven emails and meeting notes, ensuring every word counts.

Content Creators

From thought to published content, speak your ideas into existence wherever inspiration strikes.

Students & Learners

Record lectures and study materials with ease, focusing on learning, and not just note-taking.

Consultants & Coaches

Document client details accurately and quickly, improving your services and saving time.

Legal Practitioners

Lawyers & Paralegals transform consultations and legal proceedings into searchable text.

Private by design

Capturing things you say and write means trust and privacy are more important than anything else.

See our privacy policy

Use without creating an account

You can use SpeakApp AI without creating an account, providing your email, or sharing any personal information.

All server communication for transcription and AI editing purposes is encrypted.

Simple Data Management

You can delete all of your recordings in one tap from the app’s settings.

Case studies

Why people love SpeakApp

University lecture transcriber.

“Very useful for studying at university! I record my lectures and can listen to them while commuting. I also love that I can get a summary and bullet points with the most important information. This makes me a better learner and so much more effective when preparing to exams!”

Emily Williams

Record voice notes & summarize on the go

“I love this app. Easy to use. Great features. I love being able to get bullet points or a summary after it transcribes your conversations”

If your question isn't listed here, click through to the enquiry page and ask us directly. Our team will respond as a priority!

How to import recordings?

How to translate transcriptions?

How to delete a recording?

Improving transcription quality

Supported languages

How to export audio?

Got Questions?

See more FAQ

Try SpeakApp today

Transform your spoken words into instant, accurate text and handy voice notes. Whether you want to write content with your voice or capture and instantly summarize meetings, SpeakApp has you covered.

More resources

Transcribe Lectures

Voice Notes - Take Notes with Your Voice

Write Content with Speech To Text Technology

View SpeakApp AI Blog

AI Voice Notes. Speak, Transcribe, Transform.

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Terms of service

Cookie policy

Product Updates

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© 2024 SpeakApp. All rights reserved.

Transcribe App and Online Editor

Your personal assistant for note taking and transcribing. our voice transcription service saves you time and helps you focus on what’s important..

Automatic transcription

Transcribe is your AI-powered speech-to-text service. Use the Transcribe app and online editor to automatically generate notes from meetings, interviews, videos and more.

More than 120 languages

Turn audio and video into searchable, editable and shareable content in more than 120 languages.

Spanish (Spain)

Spanish (Mexican)

Spanish (Colombian)

Traditional Chinese

Variety of formats

Import files from any app or cloud storage system. Supported formats include mp3, m4a, wav, m4v, mp4, mov and avi.

Document export

Export transcribed text into a document with timestamps and polish it there. Supported formats include PDF and Microsoft Word.

Zoom integration

Record your Zoom calls and get meeting notes almost instantly.

Voice recorder

Record and review conversations in real time with our live transcription service.

Dim the lights when you work late into the night.

Collaboration tools

Collaborate with your colleagues by exporting voice notes or using Teams feature.

Bonus 5 hours of transcription time

Additional time credits every month.

Additional export formats

Export to TXT, PDF, DOCX, SRT and JPG.

Cloud storage

Up to 500 files of speech recording can be backed up in the cloud.

Synchronization

Access your documents from any device (iPhone, iPad, MacOS or a web browser).

Edit on your phone, PC or Mac

Proofread and polish the transcription on whichever device you prefer.

Priority support

Speedier replies and help when you need it.

Bonus 30 hours of transcription time

Ability to create teams for collaboration (up to 5 teams).

Up to 1 000 audio files with infinite storage time.

For podcasters

Transcribe podcasts into written notes.

For business

Get meeting notes in an instant.

For journalists

Transcribe interviews to get news out fast.

For academics

Save time on your academic research.

For students

Transcribe lectures and seminars.

What our users are saying

I’m a freelance writer who uses the Voice Memo app when conducting interviews. It would take me HOURS to transcribe what was recorded. And that wasted my time when I could have been writing the article. Transcribe has now freed up that time.

I am disabled and I’ve been looking for this exact technology for at least two years because I can’t type anymore. A lot of these transcriptions don’t work, but this one does. I’ve probably done 60 hours of transcribing audio memos checks and with with very few exceptions it was Word for Word perfect. And when you didn’t get the word right it was because I was mumbling, or what have you.

This converted my rambling voice memos directly into text for use in a word document. My audio quality was low: I recorded with my iPhone in my lap while driving on the highway so there is lots of background noise. Still, the imperfections in text are all from me stammering. Actually, the app cut out lots of ums and repeated words improving what I said. It still requires editing and correcting - mostly formatting - but really couldnt be improved much at all. This is mature technology. Also, the software interface is top notch, like google or even better.

Time-saver and amazing results! Thanks a lot for this help! I often have to work with texts in German, English, Italian.

Just used this app to transcribe a 24 minute interview (on Apple Voice Memos) with my dad, about our family history. Using this app vs. transcribing it myself has literally saved me hours. The transcription was good enough that all I will need to do is clean up a few minor “misreads”, and I can present a written version of this interview to my dad as a gift for Christmas. Thanks for a great app!

I am very pleased with this app. I use it primarily to transcribe short information videos. I purchase time in one hour increments which is suitable for my needs.

Experts talk about Transcribe

Best voice-to-text apps.

Voice-to-text apps can be very useful for busy professionals. If you're always on the go or you think faster than you can write, these special programs can increase efficiency and store your recordings safe and sound via the cloud.

The 6 Best Dictation Apps for iPhone

If the iPhone's built-in dictation feature doesn't cut it for you, here are a few good dictation apps for you.

10 iPhone Speech-to-Text Apps 2021

If you don't want to type long texts yourself, a transcription service will be the best solution for you.

Turn your audio or video recording into text.

Save time and money. upload your audio and get the text back in minutes. 20 minutes free. no credit card required., speech --> text.

Automatically convert speech to text with AI and edit it in Word.

Audio and Video

Upload your (multilingual) recording and get the text by email.

Secure and Reliable.

• English (en-GB)
• Albanian (sq-AL)
• American English (en-US)
• American Spanish (es-US)
• Argentinian Spanish (es-AR)
• Australian English (en-AU)
• Austrian German (de-AT)
• Basque (eu-ES)
• Belgian French (fr-BE)
• Bosnian (bs-BA)
• Brazilian Portuguese (pt-BR)
• Bulgarian (bg-BG)
• Canadian English (en-CA)
• Canadian French (fr-CA)
• Catalan (ca-ES)
• Chilean Spanish (es-CL)
• Chinese Hong Kong (zh-HK)
• Chinese Mandarin (zh-CN)
• Croatian (hr-HR)
• Czech (cs-CZ)
• Danish (da-DK)
• Dutch (nl-NL)
• Estonian (et-EE)
• Farsi (Persian) (fa-IR)
• Finnish (fi-FI)
• French (fr-FR)
• Galician (gl-ES)
• German (de-DE)
• Greek (el-GR)
• Gulf Arabic (ar-AE)
• Hebrew (he-IL)
• Hindi (hi-IN)
• Hungarian (hu-HU)
• Icelandic (is-IS)
• Indian English (en-IN)
• Indonesian (id-ID)
• Irish (ga-IE)
• Irish English (en-IE)
• Italian (it-IT)
• Japanese (ja-JP)
• Korean (ko-KR)
• Latvian (lv-LV)
• Lithuanian (lt-LT)
• Macedonian (mk-MK)
• Malay (ms-MY)
• Maltese (mt-MT)
• Mexican Spanish (es-MX)
• Modern Standard Arabic (ar-SA)
• New Zealand English (en-NZ)
• Norwegian (nb-NO)
• Polish (pl-PL)
• Portuguese (pt-PT)
• Romanian (ro-RO)
• Russian (ru-RU)
• Serbian (sr-RS)
• Slovak (sk-SK)
• Slovenian (sl-SI)
• South African English (en-ZA)
• Spanish (es-ES)
• Swedish (sv-SE)
• Swiss French (fr-CH)
• Swiss German (de-CH)
• Swiss Italian (it-CH)
• Tamil (ta-IN)
• Telugu (te-IN)
• Thai (th-TH)
• Turkish (tr-TR)
• Ukrainian (uk-UA)
• Vietnamese (vi-VN)
• Welsh (cy-GB)

Here is what our clients say:

27 Jul 2024 Great translations! Tomas (Sweden - American English (en-US))

10 Jun 2024 It has helped me a lot, thank you very much! Perez (Spain - American English (en-US))

30 Jul 2024 Quick service Elisabeth (Netherlands - Dutch (nl-NL))

Work smarter and save precious time

Record your interview. Upload it and get the text back in your mailbox in minutes. You can record by using like Zoom, Teams, Skype, dictation apps etc. Open the transcript in Word to edit. Save hours of transcription time!

You can try it for free using your own files at no cost. No credit card required. No strings attached. Sign up now and get 20 minutes for FREE!

Safe, Reliable and Fast

Get your results back in minutes by email. We use the best Machine Learning and Articifical Intelligence available today! After everything is completed we remove all your uploaded files directly from our system. With respect for the GDPR guidelines.

Register now! And get 20 minutes free.

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Automatic AI Transcriptions & Translations

- Private & Secure - Speaker Diarization - Timestamps - Video Captioning - Subtitles Generation - Half the Price -

A transcription powerhouse - transcribing thousands of recordings per day, for private users, schools & businesses. Proudly partnering with Microsoft for Startups

Accurately transcribe & translate any audio & video file, from your device or anywhere online. Start for free.

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Exciting news * AI summaries for free! * Instant translations into multiple languages at once * Captions & translations video player *

🗝️ Key Features

Powered by the leading most accurate speech recognition AI engines by Google & Microsoft. Accuracy in English can easily reach 95% accuracy for high quality recordings. Accuracy depends greatly on audio quality - so we can't guarantee accuracy levels - but we can guarantee you'll get the best technology can achieve today.

Transcription results are ready within circa a third the duration of the recording. For example, transcribing an hour long recording will take just about 20 minutes. But your part is done with just a few clicks. No need to wait, as all the work is done immediately on our servers and you will be notified when ready. Translations are instantly ready - within seconds!

Super Private & Secure! 🔒

Super private - no human handles, sees or listens to your recordings! Recordings are permanently removed as soon as the job is done. We pay Google extra - just so they do not keep your audio for their own research purposes. All communication is encrypted. Databases are secured.

Speaker Diarization 👩🏽🧑

Speechnotes incorporates advanced speaker diarization technology to automatically distinguish and label different speakers within recorded audio. This feature enhances transcription accuracy and organization, making it ideal for interviews, meetings, podcasts, and recordings with multiple participants.

Timestamps ⏱️

This feature automatically inserts reference markers at specific intervals or points in the transcribed text, corresponding to the original audio recording. With timestamps, users can easily navigate, synchronize, and analyze the transcribed content with the audio source.

Sync Play & Edit ✏️

Speechnotes allows playing the audio in sync with the transcription results, and editing on the spot. This way you can easily correct results, but also quickly jump to the right place in the recording by clicking somewhere on the text. So, you can listen to the source for exact quotes, etc.

Export & Email Results 📄

Speechnotes supports different export options, as well as an option to send results directly to your email, or another webhook. Export types include docx, txt & pdf files, as well as srt & vtt files for generating captions & subtitles for videos.

Local Files, Online & YouTubes

Speechnotes can basically transcribe any audio or video file. You can upload files from your device, as well as sending Speechnotes just a link to an online file or YouTube video. File types include mp3, ogg, wav, mov, mp4, mpeg, and more.

Automatic Workflows ⚙️

Join the automation revolution! With Speechnotes' API, webhooks & Zapier integration you can get Speechnotes to do much more. For instance - you can get ChatGPT to automatically summarize Speechnotes' transcriptions and save it as a Google Doc.

Ready to transcribe? Your automatic transcription is just a few clicks a way.

Secure, Accurate & Super Fast.

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How Does Speechnotes Compare with Other Transcription Solutions?

Speechnotes vs. other automatic transcription services.

Main Speechnotes' advantages over other automatic transcription service:

• Price - Speechnotes is only $0.1 per minute, without subscription, and without commitment. Most other services are either more expensive or include subscription or both.
• Privacy - Speechnotes is totally private, we do not store your recording and we do not allow Google or Microsoft (our speech to text engine suppliers) to do so.
• Translations - Instant translations & to multiple languages at once.
• Accuracy - Speechnotes relies on tech giants' shoulders to provide the best transcription results possible.
• Automatic workflows - are supported by Speechnotes, including API, webhooks & Zapier integration.

Watch this video - Speechnotes VS Rev - real life comparison:

Speechnotes VS. Human Transcription Services

Main Speechnotes' advantages over human transcription service:

• Price - Speechnotes is about 90% cheaper than the cheapest human transcription.
• Privacy - Speechnotes is totally private, whereas human transcription service is quite the opposite, as your recording is being transferred between multiple computers and being sent to freelance transcribers all over the world. Speechnotes is all automatic & safe. No human ever touches the recording or results.
• Speed - Speechnotes will get your results ready within minutes. Human transcriber will probably take a few days.
• Automatic workflows - are supported by Speechnotes, and impossible with humans.
• Timestamps - automatically generated by Speechnotes.
• Export to captions - automatically enabled by Speechnotes.

Main Speechnotes' disadvantages over human transcription service:

• Accuracy for lower quality recordings - if your recording quality is not the best, a human transcriber will likely understand it better than AI.
• Better speaker diarization - if you have multiple speakers, a human transcriber will likely know to differentiate and tag speakers better than AI.

Speechnotes VS. Transcribing Yourself

Main Speechnotes' advantages over transcribing yourself:

• Time - transcribing an hour long recording by yourself will take you approximately 6 hours of work! This literally a whole day of work you can save by letting Speechnotes do the job.
• Health - there are many health disadvantages to sitting in front of a screen and typing.

Main Speechnotes' disadvantages over transcribing yourself:

• Accuracy for lower quality recordings - if your recording quality is not the best, you will likely understand it better than AI.
• Better speaker diarization - if you have multiple speakers, you will likely know to differentiate and tag speakers better than AI.

Start now for free

- Private & Secure - Speaker Diarization - Timestamps - Video Captioning - Subtitles Generation - Half the Price - Instant Translations -

Free Voice To Text

Ai-powered voice to text, type with your voice in, voice to text features.

Voice to Text AI perfectly convert your native speech into text in real time. You can add paragraphs, punctuation marks, and even smileys. You can also listen you text into audio formate. Speech-To-Text (STT) allows you to transcript your voice or speech to text in one click, With more than 30 languages supported.

AI SPEECH RECOGNITION

Powerful speech-to-text AI technology that automatically real time converts your voice to text in seconds

MULTI LANGUAGE

More than 30 languages supported, Audio to text converter supports more than 30 languages and non-native speaker accents

EDITING TOOLS

Edit your test after transcribe like Bold, and Underline

EXPORT TRANSCRIPT

Export audio transcription results in the format of your choice (txt, docx, etc.)

Audio Recorder

Record your audio online and save file on your computer.

Text To Speech

Our application Convert your text into speech in real time.

State-of-the-Art Accuracy

Improvements in our algorithms, we can guarantee that your speech recognition will be extremely accurate. Our STT enables your speech to be correctly and swiftly converted to text.

Voice to Text perfectly convert your native speech into text in real time. You can add paragraphs, punctuation marks, and even smileys. You can also listen you text into audio formate.

• 95% accuracy.
• It's Real time no dealy.
• Audio and video file also convert into text.

30+ Languages Support

Voice to text support almost all popular languages in the world like English, हिन्दी, Español, Français, Italiano, Português, தமிழ், اُردُو, বাংলা, ગુજરાતી, ಕನ್ನಡ, and many more.

Afrikaans, Albanian, Amharic, Arabic, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Basque, Bengali, Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Catalan, Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, Galician, Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Javanese, Kannada, Kazakh, Khmer, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Lao, Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian Bokmål, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Southern Sotho, Spanish, Sundanese, Swahili, Swati, Swedish, Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tsonga, Tswana, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Uzbek, Venda, Vietnamese, Xhosa, Zulu.

System Requirment

Cupiditate placeat cupiditate placeat est ipsam culpa. Delectus quia minima quod. Sunt saepe odit aut quia voluptatem hic voluptas dolor doloremque.

• Works On Google Chrome Only
• Need Internet connection.
• Works on any OS Windows/Mac/Linux.

Select Language

Speech to Text & transcription software

Start Dictation

Clear Content

Save as .txt

Save as .doc

Copy Content

Print Content

Send Content

Accurate transcription of your audio or video file thanks to our transcription software.

Get accurate audio transcription or video transcription of your files thanks to our online automatic transcription service. Sign up now to unlock your free credit!

Free online speech to text : type with your voice.

Have you ever thought to use your voice to transcribe everything you want to be typed out? You can do it with our free speech to text online tool.

Click on start dictation and allow our voice to text software to use your microphone. Start to dictate what you want to say. Watch as the online voice transcription offers live transcribing of your message.

How can you use our free speech to text online software?

• Click on Start Dictation.
• Allow our Speech to Text software to use your microphone.
• Start dictating.

Recording can also be initiated with keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Alt+D. Doesn’t work for you? Make sure you are using Google Chrome browser.

Why should you use our free speech to text online software?

It’s quick, it’s simple and it’s totally free. Our speech to text / speech recognition software makes it easier than ever to turn your voice and diction into typed-out transcriptions. Our functional software allows you the chance to start dictation, save your transcription as a text, save your voice transcription as a word document, print your transcription, send by email, and more.

Using our transcription and voice to text recognition tool, you can dictate a text and see it typed out all.

Which features does this online voice to text software offer?

This talk to text feature provides a clear transcript, allows you to save text, and acts as a voice transcription. This tool is free and online so you can access it from anywhere, it recognizes key voice commands. It provides perfect functionality for professionals, teachers, students and more for high-quality voice typing online to increase productivity.

• Free and online
• No downloads, installation, or registration
• Supports Multi-language
• You can pause or stop dictation and our software will pause where you left off and hold your place
• Recognizes voice commands for inserting punctuation: for example, say "Comma" and it will type ","
• Smart capitalization
• You can save, copy, print, or send the dictated text
• You can use it on your computer, tablet or mobile device

What are the benefits of voice to text?

Some of the benefits of voice to text might seem obvious, and right off the bat, it’s simple to see why a free voice to text software might be useful. However, this program offers many more benefits that you might not have considered.

With our voice to text tool, you can experience seamless ease of communication, quick document turnaround, and course, flexibility for your work. Why take the time to type out your grand ideas when you can quickly capture them through our voice to text tool?

Ever have a great idea you can’t wait to type out but once you get the chance to type it out, you’ve forgotten the idea? Or further, have you ever constructed a great sentence in your head, but by the time you’ve pulled up a document to type it out, your brain has totally switched up the order? It happens to all of us. But with our speech to text tool, you simply speak into our software and record the idea without lifting a finger! Then, simply print the transcription, save it as a text, or save it as an email or word document

But that’s not all, there’s a long list of benefits that voice to text tools can offer! For example, voice to text software can:

• Help you save time : a speech recognition tool can cut your time in half when compared to typing out something on a document
• Multitask: this is a must for busy individuals
• Make fewer errors: when you type something out, it’s possible to make errors and fail to capture an idea well. With a voice to text converter, you can capture the emotion, message, and grammatically correct transcription straight from your diction.
• Make working and communicating on your smartphone easier than ever: our program works with iPhone, Android, tablets, and more: just open it with Chrome.Guarantee a secure pathway for your information: it goes from our transcription service to the next location you assign (as a text, word document, printed document, etc.).
• Streamline a tedious job.
• Increase and enhance workflow and visibility, allowing for easier management of projects and increased turnarounds.

What exactly is speech recognition?

A speech recognition tool, otherwise called an automatic speech recognition tool, a speech to text software, or online speech recognition tools, are softwares that are designed to offer a live transcription of a live dictation with your voice. These types of tools do not require any typing or physical effort.

They operate solely based on the user’s voice and then offer a typed out or written out version of that dictation. While most speech to text programs work differently than others, typically they offer live, instantaneous speech recognition transcription.

Who uses speech to text also known as voice typing?

Speech recognition tools are a useful addition for most people. In other words, almost anyone who wants to use a speech to text software will easily see the benefits of them almost instantly.

This tool is built to help enhance productivity for professionals who can save time by typing faster notes, taking more efficient and effective meeting notes, creating thorough to-do lists, and dictating on the go.

Many people benefit from using the voice typing and talk to text feature. This is a useful talk to text tool for professionals, teachers and students looking to excel. It can enhance the ability to take accurate class notes, be a true game changer for thesis statement work, enhance vocabulary, and improve just about any type of writing or speaking someone might do.

Dictation is an assistive technology and we are thrilled to help thousands of people around the globe everyday who struggle with writing. This speech recognition tool is helping people facing dysgraphia, dyslexia and other learning and thinking differences that impact writing. Blind or vision impaired people also find it helpful.

Speak to text allows you to write with your voice instead of writing by hand or with a keyboard. Speech to text software is designed to make typing easier than ever by only requiring a voice to transcribe dictation.

Speech to text or voice typer helps those who are interested in keeping their concentration and workflow going without distractions, those who are physically impaired, and those who simply enjoy the convenience of not having to type or write out their thoughts.

Online Dictation vs. Speech to Text Tools : what’s the difference?

Users read or hear about two different types of software or tools known as online dictation and speech to text programs. While these two terms are used interchangeably, many are wondering if there’s a difference between the two. In most cases, this isn’t so. Typically online dictation tools and speech to text tools fall into the same category and do the same things. Other times, however, the difference lies in how that live dictation is accomplished.

With speech to text programs, it’s essentially a guarantee that the program is a tool run by automated intelligence. In other words, there is no live person helping with this dictation. While this is often the case in online dictation tools too, sometimes online dictation can be referred to a real person offering dictation services online.

Speech recognition tool troubleshooting

The following problems might occur:

• The browser doesn't support speech recognition : the latest version of Chrome does. We highly recommend you to use Chrome.
• Hardware problem with the microphone : make sure your computer has detected your microphone.
• Permission for accessing the microphone is not granted. Allow our Speech Recognition tool to have access to your microphone.
• The browser listens to the wrong microphone. To solve microphone permission issues, click on the small camera icon in the browser's address bar (will appear after you click on the start dictation button), and set there the permission to allow the use of microphone, and pick the correct microphone from the dropdown list.

If you have other issues, please contact us describing the problem in detail.

What is speech to text software?

A speech to text software is a speech recognition tool. By listening to your voice, it automatically recognizes what you are saying and simultaneously transcribes it into text. Using a voice recognition software, you can type faster and avoid typographical errors. Voice typing software provides live voice recording to text.

How to turn on speech to text?

To turn on our speech to text software you just need to click on the “Start Dictation” button and allow the program to access your microphone. The speech recognition software will then start listening to what you are dictating and it will start transcribing what you are saying.

How to use speech to text?

One way to use it is to open our free speech to text tool. Simply select the language that you want to be live transcribed and click on “start dictation”. Allow your browser to access your microphone and start dictating. The free voice dictation software will now start recognizing your voice and will simultaneously transcribe the dictation into text.

Is there any software that can convert speech to text?

Yes, our free online speech to text software is one of the applications that can convert speech to text. It's a free automatic tool that can be used without registration. You can use it on your computer, tablet or on your mobile.

What is speech to text technology?

Speech to text technology converts spoken words into text. The conversion from audio to text is done simultaneously and helps you to write quicker and to avoid typing errors and eventual distractions. The audio to text converter is one of the best solutions when you want to make a note of something. You can also use it as a free online voice recorder. No paper and pen is needed, you just need to have access to your favorite device and internet.

How to use voice to text?

Using the voice to text converter is easy, free and without registration.To use our audio to text converter, simply select the language you will speak. To translate voice to text, click on “start dictation” and allow the program to access your microphone. The live transcription will start immediately.

How to do voice to text?

You can turn on voice to text by clicking on the “start dictation” button and by allowing the system to access your microphone. You can then start speaking and the live transcription will start. What you’ll say will automatically be converted into text and it’ll appear on your screen.

What is speech recognition?

Speech recognition is a technology that recognizes your voice and that converts every word that you say into text. This helps you to type quicker and avoid typos. Our speech recognition software can be used by a large set of people as journalists, students, business workers, writers, etc.

How does speech recognition work?

After clicking on the button “start dictation”, the speech recognition system will send the sound recorded by your microphone to an external partner such as Google Text-to-Speech, IBM Watson Speech to Text, Microsoft's speech-to-text or Amazon Transcribe. The partner will then convert your speech into text and will send back the text transcription. This process is happening live, this is why you can see the audio transcription directly on your screen. This is also why you need to be connected to the Internet to use this tool.

How to voice type?

You can voice type by using our free voice-to-text software. There is no need to download or to register any account. You just need to select the language you’ll speak, press the button “start dictation” and allow the site to access your microphone. As soon as it’s done, you will see that the words you’ve just pronounced are automatically typed into text.

How do I turn on voice typing?

Turning on this voice typing software is really easy. You just need to select the language, click on “start dictation” and allow the system to access your microphone. You will not need to download any application, to pay any fee or to register your email. Your transcription is happening live and is totally anonymous.

What does voice typing mean?

Voice typing means that you can type some text by using the sound of your voice instead of using your keyboard. Using your voice instead of your keyboard helps to avoid misspellings and inefficiencies.

How to talk to text?

Talk to text is easy. By finding the right online transcription tool, you can write your text by talking. Our online voice to text software can type what you dictate. Clicking on “Start dictation” and your dictation will be typed live on the screen.

How to turn on talk to text?

Wondering “How do i talk to text” ? By clicking on the button called “start dictation” and by allowing the software to access your microphone, you can turn on the talk to text system. Once these two initial steps have been completed, you can start dictating what you want to type and the system will automatically transcribe your voice into text.

What is live transcribe?

Live transcribe provides you instant captions of what you say. It uses speech recognition technology to turn your voice into text. Our live transcribe system offers you live transcriptions. Your voice is transcribed into text on the spot.

How to use live transcribe?

Two elements are needed to use our live transcription software. You need to have a microphone and an internet connection. Click on “start dictation” to enable the live transcription process. Start talking and the tool will instantly transcribe what you say.

How does speak to text work?

Speak to text tools listen to your voice and automatically transcribe the words that you’ve spoken into words into text. This process is done in real time. It’s free and doesn’t require any registration. To start using the tool, simply click on “Start dictation” button.

Can I convert speech to text?

Yes, you can. Converting speech to text is easy. Turn on our voice to text tool, select the language you’ll speak and start dictating what you want to be written on the screen. You also have the opportunity to add the punctuation just by saying “point” or by saying “comma” for example.

How can I turn on voice to text?

To turn on voice to text just press on the button “start dictation”, allow the system to register and grant access to your microphone. You can then start talking loud. The system will hear what you are saying and automatically write the words on the screen.

How can I type with my voice?

You can type with your voice by opening our voice to text tool. Click on “start dictation”, grant the access to your microphone and you will start transcribing your voice into text.

Is speech to text free?

Our speech to text is free and doesn’t require any registration. You only need to have a good internet connection available and a microphone. You can use Speech to text from anywhere, from your computer, your tablet or your phone.

How to get the transcription of an audio file?

To get the transcription of an audio file, simply sign up to our transcription software AudioScripto.

Once logged in, select the language of your audio file and upload it. A few minutes later, once the audio file has been transcribed, you will be alerted by email that your transcription is ready. You can immediately download the transcription of your audio file.

How to make a transcript of an audio file?

To make a transcript of an audio file simply register to our transcription software AudioScripto.

Select the language of your audio file and upload it. Once the file has been uploaded, the transcription will start. You will receive an email a few minutes later informing you that your audio file has been transcribed and that the transcription is ready.

Who can transcribe audio or video files?

There are several companies that offer transcription services or tools that can transcribe audio or video files into text. It can be done manually or automatically. The choice between both options will depend on your needs.

Is automatic transcription better than human transcription services?

It actually depends on your needs but automatic transcriptions have some advantages vs human transcriptions.

An automatic transcription tool like AudioScripto :

• Is faster than a human : upload your file, wait a few minutes and receive the transcription of your audio or video file,
• Will complete the transcription almost instantly : you are sure that the transcription will be completed within the deadline,
• Is cheaper than human transcriptions,
• Avoid human errors : you avoid the uncertainty of choosing the wrong person for the job.

Despite the fact that human transcription is much slower than automated transcription tools, the quality of the transcription is supposed to be better than the automated transcription. But this depends on the person that is transcribing your audio or video files. Thanks to artificial intelligence and machine learning, the quality of automated transcription gets better every single day!

Realistic Text-to-Speech AI converter

Create realistic Voiceovers online! Insert any text to generate speech and download audio mp3 or wav for any purpose. Speak a text with AI-powered voices.You can convert text to voice for free for reference only. For all features, purchase the paid plans

How to convert text into speech?

• Just type some text or import your written content
• Press "generate" button
• Download MP3 / WAV

Full list of benefits of neural voices

Multi-voice editor.

Dialogue with AI Voices . You can use several voices at once in one text.

Over 1000 Natural Sounding Voices

Crystal-clear voice over like a Human. Males, females, children's, elderly voices.

You spend little on re-dubbing the text. Limits are spent only for changed sentences in the text. Read more about our cost-effective Limit System . Enjoy full control over your spending with one-time payments for only what you use. Pay as you go : get flexible, cost-effective access to our neural network voiceover services without subscriptions.

If your Limit balance is sufficient, you can use a single query to convert a text of up to 2,000,000 characters into speech.

Commercial Use

You can use the generated audio for commercial purposes. Examples: YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, Twitter, Podcasts, Video Ads, Advertising, E-book, Presentation and other.

Custom voice settings

Change Speed, Pitch, Stress, Pronunciation, Intonation , Emphasis , Pauses and more. SSML support .

SRT to audio

Subtitles to Audio : Convert your subtitle file into perfectly timed multilingual voiceovers with our advanced neural networks.

Downloadable TTS

You can download converted audio files in MP3, WAV, OGG for free.

Powerful support

We will help you with any questions about text-to-speech. Ask any questions, even the simplest ones. We are happy to help.

Compatible with editing programs

Works with any video creation software: Adobe Premier, After effects, Audition, DaVinci Resolve, Apple Motion, Camtasia, iMovie, Audacity, etc.

Cloud save your history

All your files and texts are automatically saved in your profile on our cloud server. Add tracks to your favorites in one click.

Use our text to voice converter to make videos with natural sounding speech!

Say goodbye to expensive traditional audio creation

Cheap price. Create a professional voiceover in real time for pennies. it is 100 times cheaper than a live speaker.

Traditional audio creation

• Expensive live speakers, high prices
• A long search for freelancers and studios
• Editing requires complex tools and knowledge
• The announcer in the studio voices a long time. It takes time to give him a task and accept it.

• Affordable tts generation starting at $0.08 per 1000 characters
• Website accessible in your browser right now
• Intuitive interface, suitable for beginners
• SpeechGen generates text from speech very quickly. A few clicks and the audio is ready.

Create AI-generated realistic voice-overs.

Ways to use. Cases.

See how other people are already using our realistic speech synthesis. There are hundreds of variations in applications. Here are some of them.

• Voice over for videos. Commercial, YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, Facebook, and other social media. Add voice to any videos!
• E-learning material. Ex: learning foreign languages, listening to lectures, instructional videos.
• Advertising. Increase installations and sales! Create AI-generated realistic voice-overs for video ads, promo, and creatives.
• Public places. Synthesizing speech from text is needed for airports, bus stations, parks, supermarkets, stadiums, and other public areas.
• Podcasts. Turn text into podcasts to increase content reach. Publish your audio files on iTunes, Spotify, and other podcast services.
• Mobile apps and desktop software. The synthesized ai voices make the app friendly.
• Essay reader. Read your essay out loud to write a better paper.
• Presentations. Use text-to-speech for impressive PowerPoint presentations and slideshow.
• Reading documents. Save your time reading documents aloud with a speech synthesizer.
• Book reader. Use our text-to-speech web app for ebook reading aloud with natural voices.
• Welcome audio messages for websites. It is a perfect way to re-engage with your audience. 
• Online article reader. Internet users translate texts of interesting articles into audio and listen to them to save time.
• Voicemail greeting generator. Record voice-over for telephone systems phone greetings.
• Online narrator to read fairy tales aloud to children.
• For fun. Use the robot voiceover to create memes, creativity, and gags.

Maximize your content’s potential with an audio-version. Increase audience engagement and drive business growth.

Who uses Text to Speech?

SpeechGen.io is a service with artificial intelligence used by about 1,000 people daily for different purposes. Here are examples.

Video makers create voiceovers for videos. They generate audio content without expensive studio production.

Newsmakers convert text to speech with computerized voices for news reporting and sports announcing.

Students and busy professionals to quickly explore content

Foreigners. Second-language students who want to improve their pronunciation or listen to the text comprehension

Software developers add synthesized speech to programs to improve the user experience.

Marketers. Easy-to-produce audio content for any startups

IVR voice recordings. Generate prompts for interactive voice response systems.

Educators. Foreign language teachers generate voice from the text for audio examples.

Booklovers use Speechgen as an out loud book reader. The TTS voiceover is downloadable. Listen on any device.

HR departments and e-learning professionals can make learning modules and employee training with ai text to speech online software.

Webmasters convert articles to audio with lifelike robotic voices. TTS audio increases the time on the webpage and the depth of views.

Animators use ai voices for dialogue and character speech.

Text to Speech enables brands, companies, and organizations to deliver enhanced end-user experience, while minimizing costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Convert any text to super realistic human voices. See all tariff plans .

Enhance Your Content Accessibility

Boost your experience with our additional features. Easily convert PDFs, DOCx files, and video subtitles into natural-sounding audio.

📄🔊 PDF to Audio

Transform your PDF documents into audible content for easier consumption and enhanced accessibility.

📝🎧 DOCx to mp3

Easily convert Word documents into speech for listening on the go or for those who prefer audio format

🔊📰 WordPress plugin

Enhance your WordPress site with our plugin for article voiceovers, embedding an audio player directly on your site to boost user engagement and diversify your content.

Supported languages

• Amharic (Ethiopia)
• Arabic (Algeria)
• Arabic (Egypt)
• Arabic (Saudi Arabia)
• Bengali (India)
• Catalan (Spain)
• English (Australia)
• English (Canada)
• English (GB)
• English (Hong Kong)
• English (India)
• English (Philippines)
• German (Austria)
• Hindi India
• Spanish (Argentina)
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (United States)
• Tamil (India)
• All languages: +76

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SPEECHTEXT .AI

Transcribe audio and video into text, get accurate transcriptions of audio files with domain-specific speech recognition technology.

How it Works

SpeechText.AI is a powerful artificial intelligence software for speech to text conversion and audio transcription

Upload audio or video files. AI transcription software supports various file formats and transcribes from speech to text in any language.

Select domain

Select industry domain and audio type from predefined categories to improve the recognition accuracy of domain-specific words.

Our speech transcription engine uses state-of-the-art deep neural network models to convert from audio to text with close to human accuracy.

Edit & Export

Search, modify and verify audio transcriptions using interactive editing tools. Export your content in different formats.

Why SpeechText.AI?

Set of amazing features to help you transcribe audio and video in seconds

Speech recognition

Powerful speech-to-text technology automatically converts voice to text in seconds

Multi language

Audio to text converter supports more than 30 languages and non-native speaker accents

Speaker Identification

Service detects which individuals spoke which words in multi-participant conversations

Domain-specific Models

Speech text software provides multiple domain-optimized models for increased recognition accuracy

Audio Search Engine

Transcription service enables users to search audio data in natural language

Automatic Punctuation

Audio and video transcriptions include commas, full stops, question marks, periods, etc.

Editing Tools

Proofreading interface helps users to edit and verify speech recognition results

Export Transcript

Export audio transcription results in the format of your choice (txt, pdf, docx, etc.)

State-of-the-Art Transcription Accuracy

Our speech to text converter software achieves a word error rate of 3.8% on the open source LibriSpeech dataset (~1000 hours of clear English speech). SpeechText.AI's speech recognition technology is now almost as accurate as human transcriptionists.

How Customers are using SpeechText.AI?

Save money and speed up your business processes with automatic transcription software

• Transcription of interviews
• Medical data transcription
• Conference calls analysis
• Transcription of podcasts
• Video to text conversion
• MP3 to text conversion
• Subtitle generation
• Voice recognition

Our Customers

The technology is just amazing. It is accurate than any other recognition service we have used. The service supports several domain models that fit our requirements perfectly.

Martin Kerg Data scientist

I am very pleased with this speech recognition service. It works like a charm, it is fast and efficient. It helps me to transcribe and edit the content of audio files of any language.

Amber Saul IT Journalist

Just used audio transcription service and it's incredible! Very easy to use and user friendly. The audio transcription feature assists us to create our daily meeting minutes.

Tina Joel PR manager

Affordable pay-as-you-go pricing plans. No monthly fee, pay only for what you use

• 180 Transcription Minutes
• 30 MB Maximum Filesize
• 30+ languages
• General models
• 380 Transcription Minutes
• 60 MB Maximum Filesize
• Domain-specific models
• 990 Transcription Minutes
• 200 MB Maximum Filesize
• 2.000 Transcription Minutes
• 1 GB Maximum Filesize

Frequently Asked Questions

SpeechText.AI is fully GDPR compliant. All our physical servers are hosted in Europe (France) and we encrypt all your data sent between you and the service. SpeechText.AI is fully automated, hence your data is confidential and the process has no place for human-factor and other risks that manual transcription has. You can delete transcription results and uploaded files from the user dashboard at any time.

Log in to your account and upload audio files. After uploading process finishes, select a transcription language, industry domain, audio type and click the 'Transcribe' button to start transcribing.

Upload MP3 files and click the 'Transcribe' button to start MP3 files analysis. When the transcription process has finished, tap on the 'Download' icon and save the transcription file as 'Word Document' type.

To improve transcription results specify the relevant industry domain for your files. SpeechText.AI enables users to convert audio to text by applying powerful domain-optimized machine learning models and can improve the accuracy of speech recognition for industries such as finance, healthcare, legal, HR, and others. Domain-optimized models were trained on domain-specific language data to better understand domain-specific terminology.

Our video to text converter supports different video file formats: AVI, MP4, FLV, MOV, etc. The service can automatically extract audio data from video files and transcribe audio to text in a few minutes.

SpeechText.AI can use one of several machine learning models to transcribe audio files based on the original type of the audio. Our service provides multiple pre-built models, and you can optimize speech recognition quality for different audio types such as conference calls, job interviews, meeting records, podcasts, lectures, and others. If you specify the type of the original audio, this will allow the service to process your audio files using a machine learning model trained from data similar to your file.

Upload your files and select the 'Speaker recognition' option before starting video files transcription process. The transcription service will try to identify the different speakers in video files and represent transcription results in the dialog form.

Text to speech with natural sounding voices.

     4.5/520M+ downloads

Read aloud docs, articles, PDFs, email — anything you read — by listening with our leading text-to-speech reader for desktop and mobile devices.

Enjoy text to speech in 30+ languages with multiple voices in each language that sounds natural. You can try it for free, today!

Text to speech demo. See how it works.

Best text to speech for chrome, ios, android, & safari, enjoy text to speech on all your devices, with one subscription. cloud storage included..

Text to speech Chrome extension

Listen to any text on your laptop or desktop. read aloud with the speechify text-to-speech extension for chrome. ​, text to speech for ios, get the #1 rated app for text-to-speech in the app store. speechify can read books, documents, and articles while you cook, work out, commute, or any other activity you can think of., text to speech android app, speechify is a text to speech (tts) screen reader that can read any text, pdf, document, book, email, file, or article online out loud on your phone., safari tts extension, text to speech api, speechify powers the star tribune, the direct, and more. easily add text-to-speech to your website.​, how speechify works.

Using Speechify on text-to-speech is a breeze. It takes only a few minutes and you’ll be off, listening to all those words turn into high-quality, natural-sounding audio.

• Install it for free on any device
• Select your voice and speed
• Listen to any text
• Scan books to turn them into audiobooks

Learn more about text-to-speech online.

Install Speechify anywhere, free

Turn almost any text into natural sounding audio, instantly

Chrome Extension

Android App

Safari Extension

What is text to speech

Text to speech is also known as TTS, read aloud, or even speech synthesis. It simply means using artificial intelligence to read words aloud be; it from a PDF , email, docs, or any website.  There isn’t a voice artist recording phrases or words, or even the entire article. Speech generation is done on-the-fly, in real time, with AI.

And that’s the beauty of it all. You don’t have to wait. You simply press play and artificial intelligence makes the words come alive instantly, in a very natural sounding voice. You can change voices and accents across multiple languages.

Turn every article into a podcast or audiobook. Have hard copies of your favorite books? Easily scan them and turn them into your personal library audiobooks.

You don’t have to rely on other audiobook publishers.

Speechify text to speech reviews

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And begin removing barriers to reading.

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Text to speech features

Listen at any speed.

Our high-quality AI voices can read up to 9x faster than the average reading speed, so you can learn even more in less time. While it isn’t easy to listen to 900 words per minute, but who are we to limit what you are capable of? Most other text to speech readers do go that fast. Try us out today. Ease into 380 words per minute and train your ears to listen faster and slowly increase the speed to as fast as you need it to be.

Listen on desktop or mobile devices

Anything you’ve saved to your Speechify library instantly syncs across devices so you can listen to anything, anywhere, anytime.

Natural-sounding human voices

Our reading voices sound more fluid and human-like than any other AI reader so you can understand and remember more.

Listen to any book on your shelf

Use the app to snap a pic of a page in any book and hear it read out loud to you.

Multi lingual and high quality natural sounding voices

Speechify offers high-fidelity, most natural sounding voices that sound very human like. Easily select your language, then the voice in your language and enjoy natural sounding native sounding text to speech. Speechify is available in 30+ languages with multiple voices within each language. Enjoy Speechify in Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, & Ukrainian.

Everything is an audiobook or a podcast

Reading your favorite blog, news article, or a lengthy PDF but it’s time to work out? No problem. Simply press play and Speechify will convert your article into an instant audiobook. You don’t have to be stuck to a screen to read.

Text to speech use cases

Speechify was first built to serve a single purpose; to help with dyslexia. But the use case for text to speech app with the best sounding voice exploded. If you love to read, need to read, or struggle with reading, Speechify is for you.

Students of any grade can benefit from TTS. Read faster and retain much more with Speechify. You can listen to your notes or text book and follow along while stimulating audio and visual inputs.

Those with disabilities

Speechify was created by Cliff Weitzman who struggled with dyslexia. It helped him excel at his studies. Speechify is perfect for those who also struggle with dyslexia. Other disabilities such as dry eyes, migraines,  TBIs or any illness thats a barrier to reading. Our mission has been constant – remove barriers to reading.

Professionals like lawyers & doctors

Professions that require an extensive amount of reading such as lawyers, doctors, editors and such can read important case files quickly and become more familiar with their work in shorter amounts of time

Parents can use text to speech to read their children’s favorite books either at home or those long car rides. You don’t have to turn on an iPad or a movie to entertain your kids. They can listen to their favorite stories over and over again. Reading has proven to have significant results in early childhood development. Let them read, plenty.

Those that love podcasts

The use cases are plenty. Try Speechify free and see how it can help you in your use case. Tell us, we’d love to know how.

Speechify pricing.

Upgrade to Speechify Premium and power through your reading with our most advanced tools and features. See pricing .

• 30+ natural, human-like voices
• 15+ exclusive languages
• 5x faster listening speeds
• Advanced highlighting, notetaking, and importing tools

Only available on iPhone and iPad

To access our catalog of 100,000+ audiobooks, you need to use an iOS device.

Coming to Android soon...

Join the waitlist

Enter your email and we will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

You’ve been added to the waitlist. We will notify you as soon as Speechify Audiobooks is available for you.

• Show /Hide help pane
• User-Interface Language:
• Upload to Google Drive
• Download as file (.txt)
• Word Document (.doc)
• Save Session (Ctrl+S)

Say or Click

Tip: While dictating, press Enter↵ (on keyboard) to quickly move results from buffer to text editor.

Speechnotes

Speech to text online notepad professional, accurate & free speech recognition text editor distraction-free, fast, easy to use web app for dictation & typing.

- New - Speechnotes is now available on Android, with special punctuation-keyboard, commands & more.

NEW Service: Transcribe Audio Files

We started a new professional transcription service for consumers. This means you can now enjoy that service at VIP conditions & low cost of 0.8$/min. Try our new human-transcription service here.

Speechnotes is a powerful speech-enabled online notepad, designed to empower your ideas by implementing a clean & efficient design, so you can focus on your thoughts. We strive to provide the best online dictation tool by engaging cutting-edge speech-recognition technology for the most accurate results technology can achieve today, together with incorporating built-in tools (automatic or manual) to increase users' efficiency, productivity and comfort.

Works entirely online in your Chrome browser. No download, no install and even no registration needed, so you can start working right away.

Designed to Inspire Creativity and Keep You Focused

Speechnotes is especially designed to provide you a distraction-free environment. Every note, starts with a new clear white paper, so to stimulate your mind with a clean fresh start. All other elements but the text itself are out of sight by fading out, so you can concentrate on the most important part - your own creativity. In addition to that, speaking instead of typing, enables you to think and speak it out fluently, uninterrupted, which again encourages creative, clear thinking. Fonts and colors all over the app were designed to be sharp and have excellent legibility characteristics.

Reviews & Users’ Feedback (higher than 4.5 stars!)

We’ve only been on air for a short while and already featured on “ProductHunt” and other international tech magazines. But we are most proud of our users’ feedback. Speechnotes is the highest ranked speech-recognition app on the Chrome-store, rated higher than 4.5 stars! Well above other online alternatives. Here are some of the user reviews we got on the Chrome store :

"I would like to say that I am very pleased with this dictation plug in. It is better and much more accurate than the other two that I have tried. This is definitely my preferred dictation app. In fact, I wrote this review using the app. Thumbs up to the developers!!"

"It does what it says on the tin...& more. Priceless. Tony Hawes. Whose faith has been restored in Apps by this one."

... And there are many more. Read all of them on the Chrome store

Thanks a lot guys! Your feedback gives us great motivation to keep going in developing great solutions

A Free Alternative to Dragon Naturally Speaking

Features built to increase productivity & efficiency for both voice typing & regular key typing.

For many of us, key-typing is slow and thus time-consuming. Speechnotes lets you type at the speed of speech (slow & clear speech). Speechnotes lets you move from voice-typing (dictation) to key-typing seamlessly. This way, you can dictate when convenient and type when more appropriate. You can also dictate and edit your text results right away, and continue dictating. No need to go through app modes or even stop dictation. Insert punctuation marks by speech (voice commands) or by a single click.

Other features built for productivity for both type of typing are: Auto save that saves the document in real time upon any change, so you don't ever have to disturb yourself with it. Export to Google Drive (cloud saving) or download as a document to your computer. One click to email, or print your note. Automatic smart capitalization of letters at the beginning of sentences. No Login, registration, installation, or download needed. Works "right out of the box". So, where are all the automatically saved notes stored? Speechnotes stores all your data on your own computer, through your browser. The advantage is that you don't have to sign in. The disadvantage is that you cannot access these documents from other computers. For that - Speechnotes lets you export to Google Drive. Another small disadvantage is that after many many notes, you might run out of storage room, so, it's a good practice to delete from time-to-time unnecessary older notes. Unlimited usage for free.

Leading Technology

Speechnotes is based on Google's high-end speech-recognition engines. In fact, all your speech is sent to Google, there it gets interpreted using powerful parallel servers and algorithms, and gets sent back to Speechnotes as a stream of possible transcription results. With the right handling of these results and set of commands to the Speech-To-Text engines we are able to achieve results that do not fall in accuracy even when compared to the most professional and expensive software available on the market. Add to that punctuation insertion upon click and voice commands and smart capitalization, and you get one of the most advanced apps out there. Quantitatively, accuracy levels higher than 90% should be expected.

Health Advantages to Voice Typing

Sitting in front of a computer in general may result in different types of Computer Related Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). To avoid them the best way is not to sit in front of the computer for long periods of time. But, if you have to, you have to take extra care on your posture. You can read more about it here (http://rsi.unl.edu/) . Voice typing is one of the main recommended ways to minimize these risks, as it enables you to sit back comfortably, freeing your arms, hands, shoulders and back altogether. You can get back to typing once finished dictating for corrections & editing.

Instructions & Tips

Pre-operation: Connect a high-quality microphone to your PC (if you have a built-in microphone it might be good enough). Operation: 1) Click the mic 2) For the first time only: Your browser will popup a request for you to allow the site to listen to your mic. Click "Allow". 3) Start dictating. Speak slowly and clearly. Space your words and emphasize correct diction for better results. 4) Intermediate results will show in the buffer. There are 3 ways to finalize and shift transcription results from the buffer to the text editor itself:    (a) Press "Enter" key on the keyboard    (b) Say or click on a punctuation mark    (c) Wait Troubleshooting: Most common causes for failures are: 1) Hardware problem with the microphone 2) Browser not Chrome 3) Permission to listen not granted 4) Chrome listens to the wrong microphone To fix the last 2 problems, you should click on the small camera icon in the browser's address bar (will appear after you click the mic) and there set the permission to Allow speechnotes and pick the correct microphone from the drop-down list.

Who can benefit from Speechnotes?

Anyone who is tired of ordinary key-typing might find Speechnotes useful. It might also be helpful specifically for people with difficulties in typing. Such difficulties could be of a result of physical condition, or simply not mastering the keyboard typing technique in an early enough age. In addition, people who type a lot as their profession or hobby might find Speechnotes very useful as long keyboard typing might be very tyring, and even have medical implications as side effects. Needless to say, transcribers (from students to professionals) will find Speechnotes super helpful, as they can listen to a recording and repeat the speech into the mic, to get Speechnotes to transcribe it for them.

Compatibility & System Requirements

Speechnotes is really a broad-platform app. As long as you run it through a Chrome browser it will work. No need for installation, disk space or high-end machines. It will run smoothly on your PC, desktop, laptop and Chromebook. You might try it on your tablets and phones, but it might have issues with some devices.

We at Speechnotes value your privacy, and that's why we do not store anything you say or type or in fact any other data about you. Your speech is sent to Google's speech-to-text engines for transcription.

Although we try, speech results might not be accurate. Also, Speechnotes is a service provided AS-IS and we cannot guarantee that it will continue in the future. For that reason, and for the small chance that software failures might happen, we suggest you export your important texts either to Google Drive or to your computer, so to be protected against unexpected data loss. We will not be responsible for data loss or inaccuracies.

We appreciate your Feedback & Support

Speechnotes was developed in 2015 by the Speechlogger & TTSReader teams in order to help people all over the world to type their thoughts, stories and notes in an easier and more comfortable fashion. That's why Speechnotes is free and available online for everybody's access. The need for such a software tool came to our attention from feedback emails we got from our users. If you have feedback, ideas or requests, please contact us , we will be more than happy to hear from you. If you like Speechnotes, please show support by rating us on the Chrome store, sharing with friends, or mentioning us on your posts and blogs. Your friends and followers will appreciate it too. You may also contribute by a small donation ("buy me a coffee" style).

Speechnotes - Dictation Notepad

Professional speech recognition text editor. Accurate, free, easy to use & unlimited.

All rights reserved worldwide to owner. No permission to copy or use code, style, names, and any content without explicit written permission from owner ([email protected]). You may demonstrate usage of Speechnotes, reviews, etc. Thank you.

Enjoy Speechnotes? Please share . Thanks & love, Speechnotes team

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Listening was Born Before Reading

Listening predates reading in human communication history and remains a natural and intuitive way to absorb information.

Natural-Sounding Voices

The AI Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology powers our free reader with high-quality voices so you can enjoy the timeless advantages of listening.

Do More with Your Time

With our app, you can get through documents, articles, PDFs, and emails effortlessly, freeing your hands and eyes.

Listen to Anything, Anywhere

You can listen to any text on desktop or mobile devices. Use our app now and unlock the potential of listening as the ultimate reading companion.

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Frequently Asked Questions

If you don't find your answer here, please   contact us .

How does Speechise work?

You just open speechise.com in a browser, paste your text and click Play. The system converts the text to audio and the sound starts almost immediately. The chunk of text that is currently playing is highlighted in your browser. You can pause or continue listening.

Is Speechise Free?

Yes, you can use Speechise for free with the limit of 1000 characters per single request.

All our subscription options are listed on the pricing page   for your convenience. You can upgrade to a paid version if you like Speechise and want to use it fully. Your feedback is appreciated in any case.

What Languages are Supported?

You can use 50+ languages and variants in 380+ voices.

Some of the supported languages are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Turkish, Italian, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Bulgarian, Czech, Hungarian, Finnish, Greek, Ukrainian, Russian, Arabic, Korean, Hindi, Japanese, Chinese, Thai.

What is text-to-speech (TTS)?

Artificial intelligence (AI) software reads text or a document aloud for you. The text can be a fragment or a PDF, eBook, email or a webpage. The language can be English, Spanish, Portuguese or other. The voice sounds human and you can select accent/character.

Do I need to install anything?

No installation required. Speechise simply works in your browser on a desktop computer or a mobile device.

Lifelike Text to Speech for Your Users

Make your content and products more engaging with our digital voice solutions

Select your options below to hear samples of ReadSpeaker's TTS voices

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We've limited the number of sessions. Please request a full dynamic demo.

Terms of Service - This demo is for evaluation purpose only; commercial use is strictly forbidden. No static audio files may be produced, downloaded, or distributed. The background music in the voice demo is not included with the purchased product.

Benefits of Text to Speech

Text to speech enables brands, companies, and organizations to deliver enhanced end-user experience, while minimizing costs. Whether you’re developing services for website visitors, mobile app users, online learners, subscribers or consumers, text to speech allows you to respond to the different needs and desires of each user in terms of how they interact with your services, applications, devices, and content.

See All Benefits of Text to Speech

TTS gives access to your content to a greater population, such as those with literacy difficulties, learning disabilities, reduced vision and those learning a language. It also opens doors to anyone else looking for easier ways to access digital content.

If flawless customer experience is at the heart of your business DNA, high-quality TTS voices or exclusive custom voices are both highly effective approaches to increasing your visibility in the voice user interface. TTS helps to enhance the customer journey across different touchpoints, fostering loyalty and setting your company apart from competitors.

Integrators and developers building services, apps, and devices across markets and verticals (e.g. telecoms, utilities, manufacturing, OEM, finance, etc.), benefit from adding speech output to services and applications. Text to speech enables a wider-reaching, more consumer-oriented end-user experience, helping reduce costs and increasing automation while providing personalized customer interactions.

ReadSpeaker is leading the way in text to speech.

ReadSpeaker offers a range of powerful text-to-speech solutions for instantly deploying lifelike, tailored voice interaction in any environment.

With more than 20 years’ experience, ReadSpeaker is “Pioneering Voice Technology” .

customers worldwide

market-leading own-brand voices

voices in 50 languages available in our SaaS solutions

countries with a local office

ReadSpeaker’s Blog

ReadSpeaker’s blog covers a wide variety of topics related to online and offline text to speech, mobile, and web accessibility.

ReadSpeaker’s industry-leading voice expertise leveraged by leading Italian newspaper to enhance the reader experience Milan, Italy. – 19 October, 2023 – ReadSpeaker, the most trusted,…

Accessibility overlays have gotten a lot of bad press, much of it deserved. So what can you do to improve web accessibility? Find out here.

Enhance learning accessibility with ReadSpeaker’s text-to-speech tools integrated into D2L’s Brightspace LMS, offering a seamless, inclusive experience for all learners.

ReadSpeaker joins 1EdTech, enhancing digital learning with innovative text-to-speech solutions that boost accessibility and engagement for students.

In just the first seven months of 2024, ReadSpeaker converted more than one trillion characters from text into audio for its customers.

Though ReadSpeaker may seem similar to a screen reader, there are actually several key differences that can make a big impact for students.

Choose from 50 languages

Choose from ReadSpeaker’s incredible library of 200 voices in over 50 languages. This vast selection guarantees the perfect voice for any project, anywhere in the world.

• ReadSpeaker webReader
• ReadSpeaker docReader
• ReadSpeaker TextAid
• Assessments
• Text to Speech for K12
• Higher Education
• Corporate Learning
• Learning Management Systems
• Custom Text-To-Speech (TTS) Voices
• Voice Cloning Software
• Text-To-Speech (TTS) Voices
• ReadSpeaker speechMaker Desktop
• ReadSpeaker speechMaker
• ReadSpeaker speechCloud API
• ReadSpeaker speechEngine SAPI
• ReadSpeaker speechServer
• ReadSpeaker speechServer MRCP
• ReadSpeaker speechEngine SDK
• ReadSpeaker speechEngine SDK Embedded
• Accessibility
• Automotive Applications
• Conversational AI
• Entertainment
• Experiential Marketing
• Guidance & Navigation
• Smart Home Devices
• Transportation
• Virtual Assistant Persona
• Voice Commerce
• Customer Stories & e-Books
• About ReadSpeaker
• TTS Languages and Voices
• The Top 10 Benefits of Text to Speech for Businesses
• Learning Library
• e-Learning Voices: Text to Speech or Voice Actors?
• TTS Talks & Webinars

Make your products more engaging with our voice solutions.

• Solutions ReadSpeaker Online ReadSpeaker webReader ReadSpeaker docReader ReadSpeaker TextAid ReadSpeaker Learning Education Assessments Text to Speech for K12 Higher Education Corporate Learning Learning Management Systems ReadSpeaker Enterprise AI Voice Generator Custom Text-To-Speech (TTS) Voices Voice Cloning Software Text-To-Speech (TTS) Voices ReadSpeaker speechCloud API ReadSpeaker speechEngine SAPI ReadSpeaker speechServer ReadSpeaker speechServer MRCP ReadSpeaker speechEngine SDK ReadSpeaker speechEngine SDK Embedded
• Applications Accessibility Automotive Applications Conversational AI Education Entertainment Experiential Marketing Fintech Gaming Government Guidance & Navigation Healthcare Media Publishing Smart Home Devices Transportation Virtual Assistant Persona Voice Commerce
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#1 Text To Speech (TTS) Reader Online

Proudly serving millions of users since 2015

Type or upload any text, file, website & book for listening online, proofreading, reading-along or generating professional mp3 voice-overs.

I need to >

Play Text Out Loud

Reads out loud plain text, files, e-books and websites. Remembers text & caret position, so you can come back to listening later, unlimited length, recording and more.

Create Humanlike Voiceovers

The simplest most robust & affordable AI voice-over generating tool online. Mix voices, languages & speeds. Listen before recording. Unlimited!

Additional Text-To-Speech Solutions

Turns your articles, PDFs, emails, etc. into podcasts, so you can listen to it on your own podcast player when convenient, with all the advantages that come with your podcast app.

SpeechNinja says what you type in real time. It enables people with speech difficulties to speak out loud using synthesized voice (AAC) and more.

Battle tested for years, serving millions of users, especially good for very long texts.

Need to read a webpage? Simply paste its URL here & click play. Leave empty to read about the Beatles 🎸

Books & Stories

Listen to some of the best stories ever written. We have them right here. Want to upload your own? Use the main player to upload epub files.

Simply paste any URL (link to a page) and it will import & read it out loud.

Chrome Extension

Reads out loud webpages, directly from within the page.

TTSReader for mobile - iOS or Android. Includes exporting audio to mp3 files.

NEW 🚀 - TTS Plugin

Make your own website speak your content - with a single line of code. Hassle free.

TTSReader Premium

Support our development team & enjoy ad-free better experience. Commercial users, publishers are required a premium license.

TTSReader reads out loud texts, webpages, pdfs & ebooks with natural sounding voices. Works out of the box. No need to download or install. No sign in required. Simply click 'play' and enjoy listening right in your browser. TTSReader remembers your text and position between sessions, so you can continue listening right where you left. Recording the generated speech is supported as well. Works offline, so you can use it at home, in the office, on the go, driving or taking a walk. Listening to textual content using TTSReader enables multitasking, reading on the go, improved comprehension and more. With support for multiple languages, it can be used for unlimited use cases .

Get Started for Free

Main Use Cases

Listen to great content.

Most of the world's content is in textual form. Being able to listen to it - is huge! In that sense, TTSReader has a huge advantage over podcasts. You choose your content - out of an infinite variety - that includes humanity's entire knowledge and art richness. Listen to lectures, to PDF files. Paste or upload any text from anywhere, edit it if needed, and listen to it anywhere and anytime.

Proofreading

One of the best ways to catch errors in your writing is to listen to it being read aloud. By using TTSReader for proofreading, you can catch errors that you might have missed while reading silently, allowing you to improve the quality and accuracy of your written content. Errors can be in sentence structure, punctuation, and grammar, but also in your essay's structure, order and content.

Listen to web pages

TTSReader can be used to read out loud webpages in two different ways. 1. Using the regular player - paste the URL and click play. The website's content will be imported into the player. (2) Using our Chrome extension to listen to pages without leaving the page . Listening to web pages with TTSReader can provide a more accessible, convenient, and efficient way of consuming online content.

Turn ebooks into audiobooks

Upload any ebook file of epub format - and TTSReader will read it out loud for you, effectively turning it into an audiobook alternative. You can find thousands of epub books for free, available for download on Project Gutenberg's site, which is an open library for free ebooks.

Read along for speed & comprehension

TTSReader enables read along by highlighting the sentence being read and automatically scrolling to keep it in view. This way you can follow with your own eyes - in parallel to listening to it. This can boost reading speed and improve comprehension.

Generate audio files from text

TTSReader enables exporting the synthesized speech with a single click. This is available currently only on Windows and requires TTSReader’s premium . Adhering to the commercial terms some of the voices may be used commercially for publishing, such as narrating videos.

Accessibility, dyslexia, etc.

For individuals with visual impairments or reading difficulties, listening to textual content, lectures, articles & web pages can be an essential tool for accessing & comprehending information.

Language learning

TTSReader can read out text in multiple languages, providing learners with listening as well as speaking practice. By listening to the text being read aloud, learners can improve their comprehension skills and pronunciation.

Kids - stories & learning

Kids love stories! And if you can read them stories - it's definitely the best! But, if you can't, let TTSReader read them stories for you. Set the right voice and speed, that is appropriate for their comprehension level. For kids who are at the age of learning to read - this can also be an effective tool to strengthen that skill, as it highlights every sentence being read.

Main Features

Ttsreader is a free text to speech reader that supports all modern browsers, including chrome, firefox and safari..

Includes multiple languages and accents. If on Chrome - you will get access to Google's voices as well. Super easy to use - no download, no login required. Here are some more features

Fun, Online, Free. Listen to great content

Drag, drop & play (or directly copy text & play). That’s it. No downloads. No logins. No passwords. No fuss. Simply fun to use and listen to great content. Great for listening in the background. Great for proof-reading. Great for kids and more. Learn more, including a YouTube we made, here .

Multilingual, Natural Voices

We facilitate high-quality natural-sounding voices from different sources. There are male & female voices, in different accents and different languages. Choose the voice you like, insert text, click play to generate the synthesized speech and enjoy listening.

Exit, Come Back & Play from Where You Stopped

TTSReader remembers the article and last position when paused, even if you close the browser. This way, you can come back to listening right where you previously left. Works on Chrome & Safari on mobile too. Ideal for listening to articles.

Vs. Recorded Podcasts

In many aspects, synthesized speech has advantages over recorded podcasts. Here are some: First of all - you have unlimited - free - content. That includes high-quality articles and books, that are not available on podcasts. Second - it’s free. Third - it uses almost no data - so it’s available offline too, and you save money. If you like listening on the go, as while driving or walking - get our free Android Text Reader App .

Read PDF Files, Texts & Websites

TTSReader extracts the text from pdf files, and reads it out loud. Also useful for simply copying text from pdf to anywhere. In addition, it highlights the text currently being read - so you can follow with your eyes. If you specifically want to listen to websites - such as blogs, news, wiki - you should get our free extension for Chrome

Export Speech to Audio Files

TTSReader enables exporting the synthesized speech to mp3 audio files. This is available currently only on Windows, and requires ttsreader’s premium .

Pricing & Plans

• Online text to speech player
• Chrome extension for reading webpages

$10.99 /mo OR $39 /yr

• Premium TTSReader.com
• Premium Chrome extension
• Better support from the development team

Compare plans

Sister Apps Developed by Our Team

Speechnotes

Dictation & Transcription

Type with your voice for free, or automatically transcribe audio & video recordings

Buttons - Kids Dictionary

Turns your device into multiple push-buttons interactive games

Animals, numbers, colors, counting, letters, objects and more. Different levels. Multilingual. No ads. Made by parents, for our own kids.

Ways to Get In Touch, Feedback & Community

Visit our contact page , for various ways to get in touch with us, send us feedback and interact with our community of users & developers.

EDWARD EVERETT, “GETTYSBURG ADDRESS” (19 NOVEMBER 1863)

[1] STANDING beneath this serene sky, overlooking these broad fields now reposing from the labors of the waning year, the mighty Alleghenies dimly towering before us, the graves of our brethren beneath our feet, it is with hesitation that I raise my poor voice to break the eloquent silence of God and Nature. But the duty to which you have called me must be performed;–grant me, I pray you, your indulgence and your sympathy.

[2] It was appointed by law in Athens, that the obsequies of the citizens who fell in battle should be performed at the public expense, and in the most honorable manner. Their bones were carefully gathered up from the funeral pyre where their bodies were consumed, and brought home to the city. There, for three days before the interment, they lay in state, beneath tents of honor, to receive the votive offerings of friends and relatives,–flowers, weapons, precious ornaments, painted vases (wonders of art, which after two thousand years adorn the museums of modern Europe),–the last tributes of surviving affection. Ten coffins of funereal cypress received the honorable deposit, one for each of the tribes of the city, and an eleventh in memory of the unrecognized, but not therefore unhonored, dead, and of those whose remains could not be recovered. On the fourth day the mournful procession was formed: mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, led the way, and to them it was permitted by the simplicity of ancient manners to utter aloud their lamentations for the beloved and the lost; the male relatives and friends of the deceased followed; citizens and strangers closed the train. Thus marshalled, they moved to the place of interment in that famous Ceramicus, the most beautiful suburb of Athens, which had been adorned by Cimon, the son of Miltiades, with walks and fountains and columns,–whose groves were filled with altars, shrines, and temples,–whose gardens were kept forever green by the streams from the neighboring hills, and shaded with the trees sacred to Minerva and coeval with the foundation of the city,–whose circuit enclosed

“the olive grove of Academe, Plato’s retirement, where the Attic bird Trilled his thick-warbled note the summer long,”–

whose pathways gleamed with the monuments of the illustrious dead, the work of the most consummate masters that ever gave life to marble. There, beneath the overarching plane-trees, upon a lofty stage erected for the purpose, it was ordained that a funeral oration should be pronounced by some citizen of Athens, in the presence of the assembled multitude.

[3] Such were the tokens of respect required to be paid at Athens to the memory of those who had fallen in the cause of their country. For those alone who fell at Marathon a peculiar honor was reserved. As the battle fought upon that immortal field was distinguished from all others in Grecian history for its influence over the fortunes of Hellas,–as it depended upon the event of that day whether Greece should live, a glory and a light to all coming time, or should expire, like the meteor of a moment; so the honors awarded to its martyr-heroes were such as were bestowed by Athens on no other occasion. They alone of all her sons were entombed upon the spot which they had forever rendered famous. Their names were inscribed upon ten pillars erected upon the monumental tumulus which covered their ashes (where, after six hundred years, they were read by the traveller Pausanias), and although the columns, beneath the hand of time and barbaric violence, have long since disappeared, the venerable mound still marks the spot where they fought and fell,–

“That battle-field where Persia’s victim-horde First bowed beneath the brunt of Hellas’ sword.”

[4] And shall I, fellow-citizens, who, after an interval of twenty-three centuries, a youthful pilgrim from the world unknown to ancient Greece, have wandered over that illustrious plain, ready to put off the shoes from off my feet, as one that stands on holy ground,–who have gazed with respectful emotion on the mound which still protects the dust of those who rolled back the tide of Persian invasion, and rescued the land of popular liberty, of letters, and of arts, from the ruthless foe,–stand unmoved over the graves of our dear brethren, who so lately, on three of those all-important days which decide a nation’s history,–days on whose issue it depended whether this august republican Union, founded by some of the wisest statesmen that ever lived, cemented with the blood of some of the purest patriots that ever died, should perish or endure,–rolled back the tide of an invasion, not less unprovoked, not less ruthless, than that which came to plant the dark banner of Asiatic despotism and slavery on the free soil of Greece? Heaven forbid! And could I prove so insensible to every prompting of patriotic duty and affection, not only would you, fellow-citizens, gathered many of you from distant States, who have come to take part in these pious offices of gratitude,–you, respected fathers, brethren, matrons, sisters, who surround me,–cry out for shame, but the forms of brave and patriotic men who fill these honored graves would heave with indignation beneath the sod.

[5] We have assembled, friends, fellow-citizens, at the invitation of the Executive of the great central State of Pennsylvania, seconded by the Governors of seventeen other loyal States of the Union, to pay the last tribute of respect to the brave men who, in the hard-fought battles of the first, second, and third days of July last, laid down their lives for the country on these hillsides and the plains before us, and whose remains have been gathered into the cemetery which we consecrate this day. As my eye ranges over the fields whose sods were so lately moistened by the blood of gallant and loyal men, I feel, as never before, how truly it was said of old that it is sweet and becoming to die for one’s country. I feel, as never before, how justly, from the dawn of history to the present time, men have paid the homage of their gratitude and admiration to the memory of those who nobly sacrifice their lives, that their fellow-men may live in safety and in honor. And if this tribute were ever due, to whom could it be more justly paid than to those whose last resting-place we this day commend to the blessing of Heaven and of men?

[6] For consider, my friends, what would have been the consequences to the country, to yourselves, and to all you hold dear, if those who sleep beneath our feet, and their gallant comrades who survive to serve their country on other fields of danger, had failed in their duty on those memorable days. Consider what, at this moment, would be the condition of the United States, if that noble Army of the Potomac, instead of gallantly and for the second time beating back the tide of invasion from Maryland and Pennsylvania, had been itself driven from these well-contested heights, thrown back in confusion on Baltimore, or trampled down, discomfited, scattered to the four winds. What, in that sad event, would not have been the fate of the Monumental City, of Harrisburg, of Philadelphia, of Washington, the Capital of the Union, each and every one of which would have lain at the mercy of the enemy, accordingly as it might have pleased him, spurred by passion, flushed with victory, and confident of continued success, to direct his course?

[7] For this we must bear in mind,–it is one of the great lessons of the war, indeed of every war, that it is impossible for a people without military organization, inhabiting the cities, towns, and villages of an open country, including of course the natural proportion of non-combatants of either sex and of every age, to withstand the inroad of a veteran army. What defence can be made by the inhabitants of villages mostly built of wood, of cities unprotected by walls, nay, by a population of men, however high-toned and resolute, whose aged parents demand their care, whose wives and children are clustering about them, against the charge of the war-horse whose neck is clothed with thunder,– against flying artillery and batteries of rifled cannon planted on every commanding eminence,–against the onset of trained veterans led by skilful chiefs? No, my friends, army must be met by army, battery by battery, squadron by squadron; and the shock of organized thousands must be encountered by the firm breasts and valiant arms of other thousands, as well organized and as skilfully led. It is no reproach, therefore, to the unarmed population of the country to say, that we owe it to the brave men who sleep in their beds of honor before us, and to their gallant surviving associates, not merely that your fertile fields, my friends of Pennsylvania and Maryland, were redeemed from the presence of the invader, but that your beautiful capitals were not given up to threatened plunder, perhaps laid in ashes, Washington seized by the enemy, and a blow struck at the heart of the nation.

[8] Who that hears me has forgotten the thrill of joy that ran through the country on the Fourth of July,–auspicious day for the glorious tidings, and rendered still more so by the simultaneous fall of Vicksburg,–when the telegraph flashed through the land the assurance from the President of the United States that the Army of the Potomac, under General Meade, had again smitten the invader? Sure I am, that, with the ascriptions of praise that rose to Heaven from twenty millions of freemen, with the acknowledgments that breathed from patriotic lips throughout the length and breadth of America, to the surviving officers and men who had rendered the country this inestimable service, there beat in every loyal bosom a throb of tender and sorrowful gratitude to the martyrs who had fallen on the sternly contested field. Let a nation’s fervent thanks make some amends for the toils and sufferings of those who survive. Would that the heartfelt tribute could penetrate these honored graves!

[9] In order that we may comprehend, to their full extent, our obligations to the martyrs and surviving heroes of the Army of the Potomac, let us contemplate for a few moments the train of events which culminated in the battles of the first days of July. Of this stupendous rebellion, planned, as its originators boast, more than thirty years ago, matured and prepared for during an entire generation, finally commenced because, for the first time since the adoption of the Constitution, election of President had been effected without the votes of the South (which retained, however, the control of the two other branches of the government), the occupation of the national capital, with the seizure of the public archives and of the treaties with foreign powers, was an essential feature. This was in substance, within my personal knowledge, admitted, in the winter of 1860-61, by one of the most influential leaders of the rebellion; and it was fondly thought that this object could be effected by a bold and sudden movement on the 4th of March, 1861. There is abundant proof, also, that a darker project was contemplated, if not by the responsible chiefs of the rebellion, yet by nameless ruffians, willing to play a subsidiary and murderous part in the treasonable drama. It was accordingly maintained by the Rebel emissaries in England, in the circles to which they found access, that the new American Minister ought not, when he arrived, to be received as the envoy of the United States, inasmuch as before that time Washington would be captured, and the capital of the nation and the archives and muniments of the government would be in the possession of the Confederates. In full accordance also with this threat, it was declared by the Rebel Secretary of War, at Montgomery, in the presence of his Chief and of his colleagues, and of five thousand hearers, while the tidings of the assault on Sumter were travelling over the wires on that fatal 12th of April, 1861, that before the end of May “the flag which then flaunted the breeze,” as he expressed it, “would float over the dome of the Capitol at Washington.”

[10] At the time this threat was made the rebellion was confined to the cotton-growing States, and it was well understood by them, that the only hope of drawing any of the other slaveholding States into the conspiracy was in bringing about a conflict of arms, and “firing the heart of the South” by the effusion of blood. This was declared by the Charleston press to be the object for which Sumter was to be assaulted; and the emissaries sent from Richmond, to urge on the unhallowed work, gave the promise, that, with the first drop of blood that should be shed, Virginia would place herself by the side of South Carolina.

[11] In pursuance of this original plan of the leaders of the rebellion, the capture of Washington has been continually had in view, not merely for the sake of its public buildings, as the capital of the Confederacy, but as the necessary preliminary to the absorption of the Border States, and for the moral effect in the eyes of Europe of possessing the metropolis of the Union.

[12] I allude to these facts, not perhaps enough borne in mind, as a sufficient refutation of the presence, on the part of the Rebels, that the war is one of self-defence, waged for the right of self-government. It is in reality a war originally levied by ambitious men in the cotton-growing States, for the purpose of drawing the slaveholding Border States into the vortex of the conspiracy, first by sympathy,–which in the case of Southeastern Virginia, North Carolina, part of Tennessee, and Arkansas succeeded,–and then by force, and for the purpose of subjugating Maryland, Western Virginia, Kentucky, Eastern Tennessee, and Missouri; and it is a most extraordinary fact, considering the clamors of the Rebel chiefs on the subject of invasion, that not a soldier of the United States has entered the States last named, except to defend their Union-loving inhabitants from the armies and guerillas of the Rebels.

[13] In conformity with these designs on the city of Washington, and notwithstanding the disastrous results of the invasion of 1862, it was determined by the Rebel government last summer to resume the offensive in that direction. Unable to force the passage of the Rappahannock where General Hooker, notwithstanding the reverse at Chancellorsville in May, was strongly posted, the Confederate general resorted to strategy. He had two objects in view. The first was, by a rapid movement northward, and by manoeuvring with a portion of his army on the east side of the Blue Ridge, to tempt Hooker from his base of operations, thus leading him to uncover the approaches to Washington, to throw it open to a raid by Stuart’s cavalry, and to enable Lee himself to cross the Potomac in the neighborhood of Poolesville and thus fall upon the capital. This plan of operations was wholly frustrated. The design of the Rebel general was promptly discovered by General Hooker, and, moving with great rapidity from Fredericksburg, he preserved unbroken the inner line, and stationed the various corps of his army at all the points protecting the approach to Washington, from Centreville up to Leesburg. From this vantage-ground the Rebel general in vain attempted to draw him. In the mean time, by the vigorous operations of Pleasonton’s cavalry, the cavalry of Stuart, though greatly superior in numbers, was so crippled as to be disabled from performing the part assigned it in the campaign. In this manner General Lee’s first object, namely, the defeat of Hooker’s army on the south of the Potomac, and a direct march on Washington, was baffled.

[14] The second part of the Confederate plan, which is supposed to have been undertaken in opposition to the views of General Lee, was to turn the demonstration northward into a real invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania, in the hope that, in this way, General Hooker would be drawn to a distance from the capital, and that some opportunity would occur of taking him at disadvantage, and, after defeating his army, of making a descent upon Baltimore and Washington. This part of General Lee’s plan, which was substantially the repetition of that of 1862, was not less signally defeated, with what honor to the arms of the Union the heights on which we are this day assembled will forever attest.

[15] Much time had been uselessly consumed by the Rebel general in his unavailing attempts to out-manoeuvre General Hooker. Although General Lee broke up from Fredericksburg on the 3d of June, it was not till the 24th that the main body of his army entered Maryland. Instead of crossing the Potomac, as he had intended, east of the Blue Ridge, he was compelled to do it at Shepherdstown and Williamsport, thus materially deranging his entire plan of campaign north of the river. Stuart, who had been sent with his cavalry to the east of the Blue Ridge, to guard the passes of the mountains, to mask the movements of Lee, and to harass the Union general in crossing the river, having been very severely handled by Pleasonton at Beverly Ford, Aldie, and Upperville, instead of being able to retard General Hooker’s advance, was driven himself away from his connection with the army of Lee, and cut off for a fortnight from all communication with it,–a circumstance to which General Lee, in his report, alludes more than once, with evident displeasure. Let us now rapidly glance at the incidents of the eventful campaign.

[16] A detachment from Ewell’s corps, under Jenkins, had penetrated, on the 15th of June, as far as Chambersburg. This movement was intended at first merely as a demonstration, and as a marauding expedition for supplies. It had, however, the salutary effect of alarming the country; and vigorous preparations were made, not only by the General Government, but here in Pennsylvania and in the sister States, to repel the inroad. After two days passed at Chambersburg, Jenkins, anxious for his communications with Ewell, fell back with his plunder to Hagerstown. Here he remained for several days, and then, having swept the recesses of the Cumberland valley, came down upon the eastern flank of the South Mountain, and pushed his marauding parties as far as Waynesboro. On the 22d the remainder of Ewell’s corps crossed the river and moved up the valley. They were followed on the 24th by Longstreet and Hill, who crossed at Williamsport and Shepherdstown, and, pushing up the valley, encamped at Chambersburg on the 27th. In this way the whole Rebel army, estimated at 90,000 infantry, upwards of 10,000 cavalry, and 4,000 or 5,000 artillery, making a total of 105,000 of all arms, was concentrated in Pennsylvania.

[17] Up to this time no report of Hooker’s movements had been received by General Lee, who, having been deprived of his cavalry, had no means of obtaining information. Rightly judging, however, that no time would be lost by the Union army in the pursuit, in order to detain it on the eastern side of the mountains in Maryland and Pennsylvania, and thus preserve his communications by the way of Williamsport, he had, before his own arrival at Chambersburg, directed Ewell to send detachments from his corps to Carlisle and York[.] The latter detachment, under Early, passed through this place on the 26th of June. You need not, fellow-citizens of Gettysburg, that I should recall to you those moments of alarm and distress, precursors as they were of the more trying scenes which were so soon to follow.

[18] As soon as General Hooker perceived that the advance of the Confederates into the Cumberland valley was not a mere feint to draw him away from Washington, he moved rapidly in pursuit. Attempts, as we have seen, were made to harass and retard his passage across the Potomac. These attempts were not only altogether unsuccessful, but were so unskilfully made as to place the entire Federal army between the cavalry of Stuart and the army of Lee. While the latter was massed in the Cumberland valley, Stuart was east of the mountains, with Hooker’s army between, and Gregg’s cavalry in close pursuit. Stuart was accordingly compelled to force a march northward, which was destitute of strategical character, and which deprived his chief of all means of obtaining intelligence.

[19] Not a moment had been lost by General Hooker in the pursuit of Lee. The day after the Rebel army entered Maryland the Union army crossed the Potomac at Edwards’ Ferry, and by the 28th of June lay between Harper’s Ferry and Frederick. The force of the enemy on that day was partly at Chambersburg, and partly moving on the Cashtown road in the direction of Gettysburg, while the detachments from Ewell’s corps, of which mention has been made, had reached the Susquehannah opposite Harrisburg and Columbia. That a great battle must soon be fought no one could doubt; but, in the apparent and perhaps real absence of plan on the part of Lee, it was impossible to foretell the precise scene of the encounter. Wherever fought, consequences the most momentous hung upon the result.

[20] In this critical and anxious state of affairs General Hooker was relieved, and General Meade was summoned to the chief command of the army. It appears to my unmilitary judgment to reflect the highest credit upon him, upon his predecessor, and upon the corps commanders of the Army of the Potomac, that a change could take place in the chief command of so large a force on the eve of a general battle,–the various corps necessarily moving on lines somewhat divergent, and all in ignorance of the enemy’s intended point of concentration,–and that not an hour’s hesitation should ensue in the advance of any portion of the entire army.

[21] Having assumed the chief command on the 28th, General Meade directed his left wing, under Reynolds, upon Emmettsburg and his right upon New Windsor, leaving General French with 11,000 men to protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, and convoy the public property from Harper’s Ferry to Washington. Buford’s cavalry was then at this place, and Kilpatrick’s at Hanover, where he encountered and defeated the rear of Stuart’s cavalry, who was roving the country in search of the main army of Lee. On the Rebel side, Hill had reached Fayetteville on the Cashtown road on the 28th, and was followed on the same road by Longstreet on the 29th. The eastern side of the mountain, as seen from Gettysburg, was lighted up at night by the camp-fires of the enemy’s advance, and the country swarmed with his foraging parties. It was now too evident to be questioned, that the thunder-cloud, so long gathering blackness, would soon burst on some part of the devoted vicinity of Gettysburg.

[22] The 30th of June was a day of important preparation. At half past eleven o’clock in the morning General Buford passed through Gettysburg, upon a reconnoissance in force, with his cavalry, upon the Chambersburg road. The information obtained by him was immediately communicated to General Reynolds, who was, in consequence, directed to occupy Gettysburg. That gallant officer accordingly, with the First Corps, marched from Emmettsburg to within six or seven miles of this place, and encamped on the right bank of Marsh’s Creek. Our right wing, meantime, was moved to Manchester. On the same day the corps of Hill and Longstreet were pushed still farther forward on the Chambersburg road, and distributed in the vicinity of Marsh’s Creek, while a reconnoissance was made by the Confederate General Petigru up to a very short distance from this place. Thus at nightfall on the 30th of June the greater part of the Rebel force was concentrated in the immediate vicinity of two corps of the Union army, the former refreshed by two days passed in comparative repose and deliberate preparation for the encounter, the latter separated by a march of one or two days from their supporting corps, and doubtful at what precise point they were to expect an attack.

[23] And now the momentous day, a day to be forever remembered in the annals of the country, arrived. Early in the morning on the 1st of July the conflict began. I need not say that it would be impossible for me to comprise, within the limits of the hour, such a narrative as would do anything like full justice to the all-important events of these three great days, or to the merit of the brave officers and men of every rank, of every arm of the service, and of every loyal State, who bore their part in the tremendous struggle,–alike those who nobly sacrificed their lives for their country, and those who survive, many of them scarred with honorable wounds, the objects of our admiration and gratitude. The astonishingly minute, accurate, and graphic accounts contained in the journals of the day, prepared from personal observation by reporters who witnessed the scenes and often shared the perils which they describe, and the highly valuable “Notes” of Professor Jacobs of the University in this place, to which I am greatly indebted, will abundantly supply the deficiency of my necessarily too condensed statement.

[24] General Reynolds, on arriving at Gettysburg in the morning of the 1st, found Buford with his cavalry warmly engaged with the enemy, whom he held most gallantly in check. Hastening himself to the front, General Reynolds directed his men to be moved over the fields from the Emmettsburg road, in front of McMillan’s and Dr. Schmucker’s, under cover of the Seminary Ridge. Without a moment’s hesitation, he attacked the enemy, at the same time sending orders to the Eleventh Corps (General Howard’s) to advance as promptly as possible. General Reynolds immediately found himself engaged with a force which greatly outnumbered his own, and had scarcely made his dispositions for the action when he fell, mortally wounded, at the head of his advance. The command of the First Corps devolved on General Doubleday, and that of the field on General Howard, who arrived at 11:30 with Schurz’s and Barlow’s divisions of the Eleventh Corps, the latter of whom received a severe wound. Thus strengthened, the advantage of the battle was for some time on our side. The attacks of the Rebels were vigorously repulsed by Wadsworth’s division of the First Corps, and a large number of prisoners, including General Archer, were captured. At length, however, the continued reinforcement of the Confederates from the main body in the neighborhood, and by the divisions of Rodes and Early, coming down by separate lines from Heidlersberg and taking post on our extreme right, turned the fortunes of the day. Our army, after contesting the ground for five hours, was obliged to yield to the enemy, whose force outnumbered them two to one; and toward the close of the afternoon General Howard deemed it prudent to withdraw the two corps to the heights where we are now assembled. The greater part of the First Corps passed through the outskirts of the town, and reached the hill without serious loss or molestation. The Eleventh Corps and portions of the First, not being aware that the enemy had already entered the town from the north, attempted to force their way through Washington and Baltimore Streets, which, in the crowd and confusion of the scene, they did with a heavy loss in prisoners.

[25] General Howard was not unprepared for this turn in the fortunes of the day. He had in the course of the morning caused Cemetery Hill to be occupied by General Steinwehr, with the second division of the Eleventh Corps. About the time of the withdrawal of our troops to the hill General Hancock arrived, having been sent by General Meade, on hearing of the death of Reynolds, to assume the command of the field till he himself could reach the front. In conjunction with General Howard, General Hancock immediately proceeded to post troops and to repel an attack on our right flank. This attack was feebly made and promptly repulsed. At nightfall, our troops on the hill, who had so gallantly sustained themselves during the toil and peril of the day, were cheered by the arrival of General Slocum with the Twelfth Corps and of General Sickles with a part of the Third.

[26] Such was the fortune of the first day, commencing with decided success to our arms, followed by a check, but ending in the occupation of this all-important position. To you, fellow–citizens of Gettysburg, I need not attempt to portray the anxieties of the ensuing night. Witnessing as you had done with sorrow the withdrawal of our army through your streets, with a considerable loss of prisoners,–mourning as you did over the brave men who had fallen,– shocked with the wide-spread desolation around you, of which the wanton burning of the Harman House had given the signal,–ignorant of the near approach of General Meade, you passed the weary hours of the night in painful expectation.

[27] Long before the dawn of the 2d of July, the new Commander-in-Chief had reached the ever-memorable field of service and glory. Having received intelligence of the events in progress, and informed by the reports of Generals Hancock and Howard of the favorable character of the position, he determined to give battle to the enemy at this point. He accordingly directed the remaining corps of the army to concentrate at Gettysburg with all possible expedition, and breaking up his head-quarters at Taneytown at 10 P.M., he arrived at the front at one o’clock in the morning of the 2d of July. Few were the moments given to sleep, during the rapid watches of that brief midsummer’s night, by officers or men, though half of our troops were exhausted by the conflict of the day, and the residue wearied by the forced marches which had brought them to the rescue. The full moon, veiled by thin clouds, shone down that night on a strangely unwonted scene. The silence of the graveyard was broken by the heavy tramp of armed men, by the neigh of the war-horse, the harsh rattle of the wheels of artillery hurrying to their stations, and all the indescribable tumult of preparation. The various corps of the army, as they arrived, were moved to their positions, on the spot where we are assembled and the ridges that extend southeast and southwest; batteries were planted, and breastworks thrown up. The Second and Fifth Corps, with the rest of the Third, had reached the ground by seven o’clock, A.M.; but it was not till two o’clock in the afternoon that Sedgwick arrived with the Sixth Corps. He had marched thirty-four miles since nine o’clock on the evening before. It was only on his arrival that the Union army approached an equality of numbers with of the Rebels, who were posted upon the opposite and parallel ridge, distant from a mile to a mile and a half, overlapping our position on either wing, and probably exceeding by ten thousand the army of General Meade.

[28] And here I cannot but remark on the providential inaction of the Rebel army. Had the contest been renewed by it at daylight on the 2d of July, with the First and Eleventh Corps exhausted by the battle and the retreat, the Third and Twelfth weary from their forced march, and the Second, Fifth, and Sixth not yet arrived, nothing but a miracle could have saved the army from a great disaster. Instead of this, the day dawned, the sun rose, the cool hours of the morning passed, the forenoon and a considerable part of the afternoon wore away, without the slightest aggressive movement on the part of the enemy. Thus time was given for half of our forces to arrive and take their place in the lines, while the rest of the army enjoyed a much-needed half-day’s repose.

[29] At length, between three and four o’clock in the afternoon, the work of death began. A signal-gun from the hostile batteries was followed by a tremendous cannonade along the Rebel lines, and this by a heavy advance of infantry, brigade after brigade, commencing on the enemy’s right against the left of our army, and so onward to the left centre. A forward movement of General Sickles, to gain a commanding position from which to repel the Rebel attack, drew upon him a destructive fire from the enemy’s batteries, and a furious assault from Longstreet’s and Hill’s advancing troops. After a brave resistance on the part of his corps, he was forced back, himself falling severely wounded. This was the critical moment of the second day; but the Fifth and a part of the Sixth Corps, with portions of the First and Second, were promptly brought to the support of the Third. The struggle was fierce and murderous, but by sunset our success was decisive, and the enemy was driven back in confusion. The most important service was rendered toward the close of the day, in the memorable advance between Round Top and Little Round Top, by General Crawford’s division of the Fifth Corps, consisting of two brigades of the Pennsylvania Reserves, of which one company was from this town and neighborhood. The Rebel force was driven back with great loss in killed and prisoners. At eight o’clock in the evening a desperate attempt was made by the enemy to storm the position of the Eleventh Corps on Cemetery Hill; but here, too, after a terrible conflict, he was repulsed with immense loss. Ewell, on our extreme right, which had been weakened by the withdrawal of the troops sent over to support our left, had succeeded in gaining a foothold within a portion of our lines, near Spangler’s Spring. This was the only advantage obtained by the Rebels to compensate them for the disasters of the day, and of this, as we shall see, they were soon deprived.

[30] Such was the result of the second act of this eventful drama,–a day hard fought, and at one moment anxious, but, with the exception of the slight reverse just named, crowned with dearly earned but uniform success to our arms, auspicious of a glorious termination of the final struggle. On these good omens the night fell.

[31] In the course of the night General Geary returned to his position on the right, from which he had hastened the day before to strengthen the Third Corps. He immediately engaged the enemy, and, after a sharp and decisive action, drove them out of our lines, recovering the ground which had been lost on the preceding day. A spirited contest was kept up all the morning on this part of the line; but General Geary, reinforced by Wheaton’s brigade of the Sixth Corps, maintained his position, and inflicted very severe losses on the Rebels.

[32] Such was the cheering commencement of the third day’s work, and with it ended all serious attempts of the enemy on our right. As on the preceding day, his efforts were now mainly directed against our left centre and left wing. From eleven till half past one o’clock all was still,– a solemn pause of preparation, as if both armies were nerving themselves for the supreme effort. At length the awful silence, more terrible than the wildest tumult of battle, was broken by the roar of two hundred and fifty pieces of artillery from the opposite ridges, joining in a cannonade of unsurpassed violence,–the Rebel batteries along two thirds of their line pouring their fire upon Cemetery Hill, and the centre and left wing of our army. Having attempted in this way for two hours, but without success, to shake the steadiness of our lines, the enemy rallied his forces for a last grand assault. Their attack was principally directed against the position of our Second Corps. Successive lines of Rebel infantry moved forward with equal spirit and steadiness from their cover on the wooded crest of Seminary Ridge, crossing the intervening plain, and, supported right and left by their choicest brigades, charged furiously up to our batteries. Our own brave troops of the Second Corps, supported by Doubleday’s division and Stannard’s brigade of the First, received the shock with firmness; the ground on both sides was long and fiercely contested, and was covered with the killed and the wounded; the tide of battle flowed and ebbed across the plain, till, after “a determined and gallant struggle,” as it is pronounced by General Lee, the Rebel advance, consisting of two thirds of Hill’s corps and the whole of Longstreet’s,–including Pickett’s division, the elite of his corps, which had not yet been under fire, and was now depended upon to decide the fortune of this last eventful day,–was driven back with prodigious slaughter, discomfited and broken. While these events were in progress at our left centre, the enemy was driven, with a considerable loss of prisoners, from a strong position on our extreme left, from which he was annoying our force on Little Round Top. In the terrific assault on our centre Generals Hancock and Gibbon were wounded. In the Rebel army, Generals Armistead, Kemper, Petigru, and Trimble were wounded, the first named mortally, the latter also made prisoner, General Garnett was killed, and thirty-five hundred officers and men made prisoners.

[33] These were the expiring agonies of the three days’ conflict, and with them the battle ceased. It was fought by the Union army with courage and skill, from the first cavalry skirmish on Wednesday morning to the fearful rout of the enemy on Friday afternoon, by every arm and every rank of the service, by officers and men, by cavalry, artillery, and infantry. The superiority of numbers was with the enemy, who were led by the ablest commanders in their service; and if the Union force had the advantage of a strong position, the Confederates had that of choosing time and place, the prestige of former victories over the Army of the Potomac, and of the success of the first day. Victory does not always fall to the lot of those who deserve it; but that so decisive a triumph, under circumstances like these, was gained by our troops, I would ascribe, under Providence, to the spirit of exalted patriotism that animated them, and a consciousness that they were fighting in a righteous cause.

[34] All hope of defeating our army, and securing what General Lee calls “the valuable results” of such an achievement, having vanished, he thought only of rescuing from destruction the remains of his shattered forces. In killed, wounded, and missing he had, as far as can be ascertained, suffered a loss of about 37,000 men,–rather more than a third of the army with which he is supposed to have marched into Pennsylvania. Perceiving that his only safety was in rapid retreat, he commenced withdrawing his troops at daybreak on the 4th, throwing up field-works in front of our left, which, assuming the appearance of a new position, were intended probably to protect the rear of his army in their retreat. That day–sad celebration of the 4th of July for an army of Americans!–was passed by him in hurrying off his trains. By nightfall the main army was in full retreat on the Cashtown and Fairfield roads, and it moved with such precipitation, that, short as the nights were, by daylight the following morning, notwithstanding a heavy rain, the rear-guard had left its position. The struggle of the last two days resembled in many respects the Battle of Waterloo; and if, in the evening of the third day, General Meade, like the Duke of Wellington, had had the assistance of a powerful auxiliary army to take up the pursuit, the rout of the Rebels would have been as complete as that of Napoleon.

[35] Owing to the circumstance just named, the intentions of the enemy were not apparent on the 4th. The moment his retreat was discovered, the following morning, he was pursued by our cavalry on the Cashtown road and through the Emmettsburg and Monterey passes, and by Sedgwick’s corps on the Fairfield road. His rear-guard was briskly attacked at Fairfield; a great number of wagons and ambulances were captured in the passes of the mountains; the country swarmed with his stragglers, and his wounded were literally emptied from the vehicles containing them into the farm-houses on the road. General Lee, in his report, makes repeated mention of the Union prisoners whom he conveyed into Virginia, somewhat overstating their number. He states, also, that “such of his wounded as were in a condition to be removed” were forwarded to Williamsport. He does not mention that the number of his wounded not removed, and left to the Christian care of the victors, was 7,540, not one of whom failed of any attention which it was possible, under the circumstances of the case, to afford them, not one of whom, certainly, has been put upon Libby Prison fare,–lingering death by starvation. Heaven forbid, however, that we should claim any merit for the exercise of common humanity!

[36] Under the protection of the mountain-ridge, whose narrow passes are easily held even by a retreating army, General Lee reached Williamsport in safety, and took up a strong position opposite to that place. General Meade necessarily pursued with the main army by a flank movement through Middletown, Turner’s Pass having been secured by General French. Passing through the South Mountain, the Union army came up with that of the Rebels on the 12th, and found it securely posted on the heights of Marsh Run. The position was reconnoitred, and preparations made for an attack on the 13th. The depth of the river, swollen by the recent rains, authorized the expectation that the enemy would be brought to a general engagement the following day. An advance was accordingly made by General Meade on the morning of the 14th; but it was soon found that the Rebels had escaped in the night, with such haste that Ewell’s corps forded the river where the water was breast-high. The cavalry which had rendered the most important services during the three days, and in harassing the enemy’s retreat, was now sent in pursuit and captured two guns and a large number of prisoners. In an action which took place at Falling Waters, General Petigru was mortally wounded. General Meade, in further pursuit of the Rebels, crossed the Potomac at Berlin. Thus again covering the approaches to Washington, he compelled the enemy to pass the Blue Ridge at one of the upper gaps; and in about six weeks from the commencement of the campaign, General Lee found himself again on the south side of the Rappahannock, with the probable loss of about a third part of his army.

[37] Such, most inadequately recounted, is the history of the ever-memorable three days, and of the events immediately preceding and following. It has been pretended, in order to diminish the magnitude of this disaster to the Rebel cause, that it was merely the repulse of an attack on a strongly defended position. The tremendous losses on both sides are a sufficient answer to this misrepresentation, and attest the courage and obstinacy with which the three days’ battle was waged. Few of the great conflicts of modern times have cost victors and vanquished so great a sacrifice. On the Union side, there fell, in the whole campaign, of generals killed, Reynolds, Weed, and Zook, and wounded, Barlow, Barnes, Butterfield, Doubleday, Gibbon, Graham, Hancock, Sickles, and Warren; while of officers below the rank of general, and men, there were 2,834 killed, 13,709 wounded, and 6,643 missing. On the Confederate side, there were killed on the field or mortally wounded, Generals Armistead, Barksdale, Garnett, Pender, Petigru, and Semmes, and wounded, Heth, Hood, Johnson, Kemper, Kimball, and Trimble. Of officers below the rank of general, and men, there were taken prisoners, including the wounded, 13,621, an amount ascertained officially. Of the wounded in a condition to be removed, of the killed, and the missing, the enemy has made no return. They are estimated, from the best data which the nature of the case admits, at 23,000. General Meade also captured three cannon and forty-one standards; and 24,978 small arms were collected on the battlefield.

[38] I must leave to others, who can do it from personal observation, to describe the mournful spectacle presented by these hillsides and plains at the close of the terrible conflict. It was a saying of the Duke of Wellington, that next to a defeat, the saddest thing is a victory. The horrors of the battle-field, after the contest is over, the sights and sounds of woe,–let me throw a pall over the scene, which no words can adequately depict to those who have not witnessed it on which no one who has witnessed it, and who has a heart in his bosom, can bear to dwell. One drop of balm alone, one drop of heavenly life-giving balm, mingles in this bitter cup of misery. Scarcely has the cannon ceased to roar, when the brethren and sisters of Christian benevolence, ministers of compassion, angels of pity, hasten to the field and the hospital, to moisten the parched tongue, to bind the ghastly wounds, to soothe the parting agonies alike of friend and foe, and to catch the last whispered messages of love from dying lips. “Carry this miniature back to my dear wife, but do not take it from my bosom till I am gone.” “Tell my little sister not to grieve for me; I am willing to die for my country.” “O that my mother were here!” When since Aaron stood between the living and the dead was there ever so gracious a ministry as this? It has been said that it is characteristic of Americans to treat women with a deference not paid to them in any other country. I will not undertake to say whether this is so; but I will say, that, since this terrible war has been waged, the women of the loyal States, if never before, have entitled themselves to our highest admiration and gratitude,–alike those who at home, often with fingers unused to the toil, often bowed beneath their own domestic cares, have performed an amount of daily labor not exceeded by those who work for their daily bread, and those who, in the hospital and the tents of the Sanitary and Christian Commissions, have rendered services which millions could not buy. Happily, the labor and the service are their own reward. Thousands of matrons and thousands of maidens have experienced a delight in these homely toils and services, compared with which the pleasures of the ball-room and the opera-house are tame and unsatisfactory. This on earth is reward enough, but a richer is in store for them. Yes, brothers, sisters of charity, while you bind up the wounds of the poor sufferers,–the humblest, perhaps, that have shed their blood for the country,–forget not WHO it is that will hereafter say to you, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my BRETHREN, ye have done it unto me.”

[39] And now, friends, fellow-citizens, as we stand among these honored graves, the momentous question presents itself, Which of the two parties to the war is responsible for all this suffering, for this dreadful sacrifice of life,–the lawful and constituted government of the United States, or the ambitious men who have rebelled against it? I say “rebelled” against it, although Earl Russell, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, in his recent temperate and conciliatory speech in Scotland, seems to intimate that no prejudice ought to attach to that word, inasmuch as our English forefathers rebelled against Charles I. and James II., and our American fathers rebelled against George III. These certainly are venerable precedents, but they prove only that it is just and proper to rebel against oppressive governments. They do not prove that it was just and proper for the son of James II. to rebel against George I., or his grandson Charles Edward to rebel against George II.; nor, as it seems to me, ought these dynastic struggles, little better than family quarrels, to be compared with this monstrous conspiracy against the American Union. These precedents do not prove that it was just and proper for the “disappointed great men” of the cotton-growing States to rebel against “the most beneficent government of which history gives us any account,” as the Vice-President of the Confederacy, in November, 1860, charged them with doing. They do not create a presumption even in favor of the disloyal slaveholders the South, who, living under a government of which Mr. Jefferson Davis, in the session of 1860-61, said that it was “the best government ever instituted by man, unexceptionably administered, and under which the people have been prosperous beyond comparison with any other people whose career has been recorded in history,” rebelled against it because their aspiring politicians, himself among the rest, were in danger of losing their monopoly of its offices. What would have been thought by an impartial posterity of the American rebellion against George III., if the colonists had at all times been more than equally represented in Parliament, and James Otis and Patrick Henry and Washington and Franklin and the Adamses and Hancock and Jefferson, and men of their stamp, had for two generations enjoyed the confidence of the sovereign and administered the government of the empire? What could have been thought of the rebellion against Charles I., if Cromwell and the men of his school had been the responsible advisers of that prince from his accession to the throne, and then, on account of a partial change in the ministry, had brought his head to the block, and involved the country in a desolating war, for the sake of dismembering it and establishing a new government south of the Trent? What would have been thought of the Whigs of 1688, if they had themselves composed the cabinet of James II., and been the advisers of the measures and the promoters of the policy which drove him into exile? The Puritans of 1640 and the Whigs of 1688 rebelled against arbitrary power in order to establish constitutional liberty. If they had risen against Charles and James because those monarchs favored equal rights, and in order themselves “for the first time in the history of the world” to establish an oligarchy “founded on the corner-stone of slavery,” they would truly have furnished a precedent for the Rebels of the South, but their cause would not have been sustained by the eloquence of Pym or of Somers, nor sealed with the blood of Hampden or Russell.

[40] I call the war which the Confederates are waging against the Union a “rebellion,” because it is one, and in grave matters it is best to call things by their right names. I speak of it as a crime, because the Constitution of the United States so regards it, and puts “rebellion” on a par with “invasion.” The constitution and law, not only of England, but of every civilized country, regard them in the same light; or rather they consider the rebel in arms as far worse than the alien enemy. To levy war against the United States is the constitutional definition of treason, and that crime is by every civilized government regarded as the highest which citizen or subject can commit. Not content with the sanctions of human justice, of all the crimes against the law of the land it is singled out for the denunciations of religion. The litanies in every church in Christendom whose ritual embraces that office, as far as I am aware, from the metropolitan cathedrals of Europe to the humblest missionary chapel in the islands of the sea, concur with the Church of England in imploring the Sovereign of the universe, by the most awful adjurations which the heart of man can conceive or his tongue utter, to deliver us from “sedition, privy conspiracy, and rebellion.” And reason good; for while a rebellion against tyranny–a rebellion designed, after prostrating arbitrary power, to establish free government on the basis of justice and truth–is an enterprise on which good men and angels may fool; with complacency, an unprovoked rebellion of ambitious men against a beneficent government, for the purpose–the avowed purpose–of establishing, extending, and perpetuating any form of injustice and wrong, is an imitation on earth of that first foul revolt of “the Infernal Serpent,” against which the Supreme Majesty of heaven sent forth the armed myriads of his angels, and clothed the right arm of his Son with the three-bolted thunders of omnipotence.

[41] Lord Bacon, in “the true marshalling of the sovereign degrees of honor,” assigns the first place to “the Conditores Imperiorum, founders of States and Commonwealths “; and, truly, to build up from the discordant elements of our nature the passions, the interests, and the opinions of the individual man, the rivalries of family, clan, and tribe, the influences of climate and geographical position, the accidents of peace and war accumulated for ages,–to build up from these oftentimes warring elements a well-compacted, prosperous, and powerful State, if it were to be accomplished by one effort or in one generation would require a more than mortal skill. To contribute in some notable degree to this, the greatest work of man, by wise and patriotic counsel in peace and loyal heroism in war, is as high as human merit can well rise, and far more than to any of those to whom Bacon assigns this highest place of honor, whose names can hardly be repeated without a wondering smile,–Romulus, Cyrus, Caesar, Othman, Ismael,– is it due to our Washington as the founder of the American Union. But if to achieve or help to achieve this greatest work of man’s wisdom and virtue gives title to a place among the chief benefactors, rightful heirs of the benedictions, of mankind, by equal reason shall the bold bad men who seek to undo the noble work, Eversores Imperiorum, destroyers of States, who for base and selfish ends rebel against beneficent governments, seer; to overturn wise constitutions, to lay powerful republican Unions at the foot of foreign thrones, to bring on civil and foreign war, anarchy at home, dictation abroad, desolation, ruin,–by equal reason, I say, yes, a thousand-fold stronger, shall they inherit the execrations of the ages.

[42] But to hide the deformity of the crime under the cloak of that sophistry which strives to make the worse appear the better reason, we are told by the leaders of the Rebellion that in our complex system of government the separate States are “sovereigns,” and that the central power is only an “agency,” established by these sovereigns to manage certain little affairs,–such, forsooth, as Peace, War, Army, Navy, Finance, Territory, and Relations with the Native Tribes, which they could not so conveniently administer themselves. It happens, unfortunately for this theory, that the Federal Constitution (which has been adopted by the people of every State of the Union as much as their own State constitutions have been adopted, and is declared to be paramount to them) nowhere recognizes the States as “sovereigns,”–in fact, that, by their names, it does not recognize them at all; while the authority established by that instrument is recognized, in its text, not as an “agency,” but as “the Government of the United States.” By that Constitution, moreover, which purports in its preamble to be ordained and established by “the people of the United States,” it is expressly provided, that “the members of the State legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, shall be bound by oath or affirmation to support the Constitution.” Now it is a common thing, under all governments, for an agent to be bound by oath to be faithful to his sovereign; but I never heard before of sovereigns being bound by oath to be faithful to their agency.

[43] Certainly I do not deny that the separate States are clothed with sovereign powers for the administration of local affairs. It is one of the most beautiful features of our mixed system of government; but it is equally true, that, in adopting the Federal Constitution, the States abdicated, by express renunciation, all the most important functions of national sovereignty, and, by one comprehensive self denying clause, gave up all right to contravene the Constitution of the United States. Specifically, and by enumeration, they renounced all the most important prerogatives of independent States for peace and for war,–the right to keep troops or ships of war in time of peace, or to engage in war unless actually invaded; to enter into compact with another State or a foreign power; to lay any duty on tonnage, or any impost on exports or imports, without the consent of Congress; to enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; to grant letters of marque or reprisal, and to emit bills of credit,–while all these powers and many others are expressly vested in the general government. To ascribe to political communities, thus limited in their jurisdiction,–who cannot even establish a post-office on their own soil,–the character of independent sovereignty, and to reduce a national organization, clothed with all the transcendent powers of government, to the name and condition of an “agency” of the States, proves nothing but that the logic of secession is on a par with its loyalty and patriotism.

[44] O, but “the reserved rights”! And what of the reserved rights? The tenth amendment of the Constitution, supposed to provide for “reserved rights,” is constantly misquoted. By that amendment, “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” The “powers” reserved must of course be such as could have been, but were not delegated to the United States, –could have been, but were not prohibited to the States; but to speak of the right of an individual State to secede, as a power that could have been, though it was not delegated to the United States, is simple nonsense.

[45] But waiving this obvious absurdity, can it need a serious argument to prove that there can be no State right to enter into a new confederation reserved under a Constitution which expressly prohibits a State to “enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation,” or any “agreement or compact with another State or a foreign power”? To say that the State may, by enacting the preliminary farce of secession, acquire the right to do the prohibited things,–to say, for instance, that though the States in forming the Constitution delegated to the United States, and prohibited to themselves, the power of declaring war, there was by implication reserved to each State the right of seceding and then declaring war; that, though they expressly prohibited to the States and delegated to the United States the entire treaty-making power, they reserved by implication (for an express reservation is not pretended) to the individual States, to Florida, for instance, the right to secede, and then to make a treaty with Spain retroceding that Spanish colony, and thus surrendering to a foreign power the key to the Gulf of Mexico,–to maintain propositions like these, with whatever affected seriousness it is done, appears to me egregious trifling.

[46] Pardon me, my friends, for dwelling on these wretched sophistries. But it is these which conducted the armed hosts of rebellion to your doors on the terrible and glorious days of July, and which have brought upon the whole land the scourge of an aggressive and wicked war, –a war which can have no other termination compatible with the permanent safety and welfare of the country but the complete destruction of the military power of the enemy. I have, on other occasions, attempted to show that to yield to his demands and acknowledge his independence, thus resolving the Union at once into two hostile governments, with a certainty of further disintegration, would annihilate the strength and the influence of the country as a member of the family of nations; afford to foreign powers the opportunity and the temptation for humiliating and disastrous interference in our affairs; wrest from the Middle and Western States some of their great natural outlets to the sea and of their most important lines of internal communication; deprive the commerce and navigation of the country of two thirds of our sea-coast and of the fortresses which protect it: not only so, but would enable each individual State,–some of them with a white population equal to a good-sized Northern county,–or rather the dominant party in each State, to cede its territory, its harbors, its fortresses, the mouths of its rivers, to any foreign power. It cannot be that the people of the loyal States–that twenty-two millions of brave and prosperous freemen–will, for the temptation of a brief truce in an eternal border-war, consent to this hideous national suicide.

[47] Do not think that I exaggerate the consequences of yielding to the demands of the leaders of the Rebellion. I understate them. They require of us, not only all the sacrifices I have named, not only the cession to them, a foreign and hostile power, of all the territory of the United States at present occupied by the Rebel forces, but the abandonment to them of the vast regions we have rescued from their grasp,–of Maryland, of a part of Eastern Virginia and the whole of Western Virginia; the sea-coast of North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida; Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri; Arkansas, and the larger portion of Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas,–in most of which, with the exception of lawless guerillas, there is not a Rebel in arms, in all of which the great majority of the people are loyal to the Union. We must give back, too, the helpless colored population, thousands of whom are perilling their lives in the ranks of our armies, to a bondage rendered tenfold more bitter by the momentary enjoyment of freedom. Finally, we must surrender every man in the Southern country, white or black, who has moved a finger or spoken a word for the restoration of the Union, to a reign of terror as remorseless as that of Robespierre, which has been the chief instrument by which the Rebellion has been organized and sustained, and which has already filled the prisons of the South with noble men, whose only crime is that they are not the worst of criminals. The South is full of such men. I do not believe there has been a day since the election of President Lincoln, when, if an ordinance of secession could have been fairly submitted, after a free discussion, to the mass of the people in any single Southern State, a majority of ballots would have been given in its favor. No, not in South Carolina. It is not possible that the majority of the people, even of that State, if permitted, without fear or favor, to give a ballot on the question, would have abandoned a leader like Petigru, and all the memories of the Gadsdens, the Rutledges, and the Cotesworth Pinckneys of the Revolutionary and Constitutional age to follow the agitators of the present day.

[48] Nor must we be deterred from the vigorous prosecution of the war by the suggestion, continually thrown out by the Rebels and those who sympathize with them, that, however it might have been at an earlier stage, there has been engendered by the operations of the war a state of exasperation and bitterness, which, independent of all reference to the original nature of the matters in controversy, will forever prevent the restoration of the Union, and the return of harmony between the two great sections of the country. This opinion I take to be entirely without foundation.

[49] No man can deplore more than I do the miseries of every kind unavoidably incident to war. Who could stand on this spot and call to mind the scenes of the first days of July with any other feeling? A sad foreboding of what would ensue, if war should break out between North and South, has haunted me through life, and led me, perhaps too long, to tread in the path of hopeless compromise, in the fond endeavor to conciliate those who were predetermined not to be conciliated. But it is not true, as is pretended by the Rebels and their sympathizers, that the war has been carried on by the United States without entire regard to those temperaments which are enjoined by the law of nations, by our modern civilization, and by the spirit of Christianity. It would be quite easy to point out, in the recent military history of the leading European powers, acts of violence and cruelty, in the prosecution of their wars, to which no parallel can be found among us. In fact, when we consider the peculiar bitterness with which civil wars are almost invariably waged, we may justly boast of the manner in which the United States have carried on the contest. It is of course impossible to prevent the lawless acts of stragglers and deserters, or the occasional unwarrantable proceedings of subordinates on distant stations; but I do not believe there is, in all history, the record of a civil war of such gigantic dimensions where so little has been done in the spirit of vindictiveness as in this war, by the Government and commanders of the United States; and this notwithstanding the provocation given by the Rebel Government by assuming the responsibility of wretches like Quantrell, refusing quarter to colored troops, and scourging and selling into slavery free colored men from the North who fall into their hands, by covering the sea with pirates, refusing a just exchange of prisoners, while they crowd their armies with paroled prisoners not exchanged, and starving prisoners of war to death.

[50] In the next place, if there are any present who believe, that, in addition to the effect of the military operations of the war, the confiscation acts and emancipation proclamations have embittered the Rebels beyond the possibility of reconciliation, I would request them to reflect that the tone of the Rebel leaders and Rebel press was just as bitter in the first months of the war, nay, before a gun was fired, as it is now. There were speeches made in Congress in the very last session before the outbreak of the Rebellion, so ferocious as to show that their authors were under the influence of a real frenzy. At the present day, if there is any discrimination made by the Confederate press in the affected scorn, hatred, and contumely with which every shade of opinion and sentiment in the loyal States is treated, the bitterest contempt is bestowed upon those at the North who still speak the language of compromise, and who condemn those measures of the administration which are alleged to have rendered the return of peace hopeless.

[51] No, my friends, that gracious Providence which overrules all things for the best, “from seeming evil still educing good,” has so constituted our natures, that the violent excitement of the passions in one direction is generally followed by a reaction in an opposite direction, and the sooner for the violence. If it were not so, if injuries inflicted and retaliated of necessity led to new retaliations, with forever accumulating compound interest of revenge, then the world, thousands of years ago, would have been turned into an earthly hell, and the nations of the earth would have been resolved into clans of furies and demons, each forever warring with his neighbor. But it is not so; all history teaches a different lesson. The Wars of the Roses in England lasted an entire generation, from the battle of St. Albans in 1455 to that of Bosworth Field in 1485. Speaking of the former, Hume says: “This was the first blood spilt in that fatal quarrel, which was not finished in less than a course of thirty years; which was signalized by twelve pitched battles; which opened a scene of extraordinary fierceness and cruelty; is computed to have cost the lives of eighty princes of the blood; and almost entirely annihilated the ancient nobility of England. The strong attachments which, at that time, men of the same kindred bore to each other, and the vindictive spirit which was considered a point of honor, rendered the great families implacable in their resentments, and widened every moment the breach between the parties.” Such was the state of things in England under which an entire generation grew up; but when Henry VII., in whom the titles of the two houses were united, went up to London after the Battle of Bosworth Field, to mount the throne, he was everywhere received with joyous acclamations, “as one ordained and sent from heaven to put an end to the dissensions” which had so long afflicted the country.

[52] The great Rebellion in England of the seventeenth century, after long and angry premonitions, may be said to have begun with the calling of the Long Parliament in 1640, and to have ended with the return of Charles II. in 1660,–twenty years of discord, conflict, and civil war; of confiscation, plunder, havoc; a proud hereditary peerage trampled in the dust; a national church overturned, its clergy beggared, its most eminent prelate put to death; a military despotism established on the ruins of a monarchy which had subsisted seven hundred years, and the legitimate sovereign brought to the block; the great families which adhered to the king proscribed, impoverished, ruined; prisoners of war–a fate worse than starvation in Libby–sold to slavery in the West Indies; in a word, everything that can embitter and madden contending factions. Such was the state of things for twenty years; and yet, by no gentle transition, but suddenly, and “when the restoration of affairs appeared most hopeless,” the son of the beheaded sovereign was brought back to his father’s blood-stained throne, with such “unexpressible and universal joy ” as led the merry monarch to exclaim “he doubted it had been his own fault he had been absent so long, for he saw nobody who did not protest he had ever wished for his return.” “In this wonderful manner,” says Clarendon, “and with this incredible expedition, did God put an end to a rebellion that had raged near twenty years, and had been carried on with all the horrid circumstances of murder, devastation, and parricide, that fire and sword, in the hands of the most wicked men in the world” (it is a royalist that is speaking) “could be instruments of, almost to the desolation of two kingdoms, and the exceeding defacing and deforming of the third. . . . . By these remarkable steps did the merciful hand of God, in this short space of time, not only bind up and heal all those wounds, but even made the scar as undiscernible as, in respect of the deepness, was possible[,] which was a glorious addition to the deliverance.”

[53] In Germany, the wars of the Reformation and of Charles V. in the sixteenth century, the Thirty Years’ War in the seventeenth century, the Seven Years’ War in the eighteenth century, not to speak of other less celebrated contests, entailed upon that country all the miseries of intestine strife for more than three centuries. At the close of the last-named war,–which was the shortest of all and waged in the most civilized age,–“an officer,” says Archenholz, “rode through seven villages in Hesse, and found in them but one human being.” More than three hundred principalities, comprehended in the Empire, fermented with the fierce passions of proud and petty States; at the commencement of this period the castles of robber counts frowned upon every hill-top; a dreadful secret tribunal, whose seat no one knew, whose power none could escape, froze the hearts of men with terror throughout the land; religious hatred mingled its bitter poison in the seething caldron of provincial animosity: but of all these deadly enmities between the States of Germany scarcely the memory remains. There are controversies in that country, at the present day, but they grow mainly out of the rivalry of the two leading powers. There is no country in the world in which the sentiment of national brotherhood is stronger.

[54] In Italy, on the breaking up of the Roman Empire, society might be said to be resolved into its original elements,–into hostile atoms, whose only movement was that of mutual repulsion. Ruthless barbarians had destroyed the old organizations, and covered the land with a merciless feudalism. As the new civilization grew up, under the wing of the Church, the noble families and the walled towns fell madly into conflict with each other; the secular feud of Pope and Emperor scourged the land; province against province, city against city, street against street, waged remorseless war with each other from father to son, till Dante was able to fill his imaginary hell with the real demons of Italian history. So ferocious had the factions become, that the great poet-exile himself, the glory of his native city and of his native language, was, by a decree of the municipality, condemned to be burned alive if found in the city of Florence. But these deadly feuds and hatreds yielded to political influences, as the hostile cities were grouped into States under stable governments; the lingering traditions of the ancient animosities gradually died away, and now Tuscan and Lombard, Sardinian and Neapolitan, as if to shame the degenerate sons of America, are joining in one cry for a united Italy.

[55] In France, not to go back to the civil wars of the League in the sixteenth century and of the Fronde in the seventeenth; not to speak of the dreadful scenes throughout the kingdom which followed the revocation of the edict of Nantes; we have, in the great revolution which commenced at the close of the last century, seen the bloodhounds of civil strife let loose as rarely before in the history of the world. The reign of terror established at Paris stretched its bloody Briarean arms to every city and village in the land; and if the most deadly feuds which ever divided a people had the power to cause permanent alienation and hatred, this surely was the occasion. But far otherwise the fact. In seven years from the fall of Robespierre, the strong arm of the youthful conqueror brought order out of this chaos of crime and woe; Jacobins whose hands were scarcely cleansed from the best blood of France met the returning emigrants, whose estates they had confiscated and whose kindred they had dragged to the guillotine, in the Imperial antechambers; and when, after another turn of the wheel of fortune, Louis XVIII [,] was restored to his throne, he took the regicide Fouche who had voted for his brother’s death, to his cabinet and confidence.

[56] The people of loyal America will never ask you, sir, to take to your confidence or admit again to a share in the government the hard-hearted men whose cruel lust of power has brought this desolating war upon the land, but there is no personal bitterness felt even against them. They may live, if they can bear to live after wantonly causing the death of so many thousands of their fellow-men; they may live in safe obscurity beneath the shelter of the government they have sought to overthrow, or they may fly to the protection of the governments of Europe,–some of them are already there, seeking, happily in vain, to obtain the aid of foreign powers in furtherance of their own treason. There let them stay. The humblest dead soldier, that lies cold and stiff in his grave before us, is an object of envy beneath the clods that cover him, in comparison with the living man, I care not with what trumpery credentials he may be furnished, who is willing to grovel at the foot of a foreign throne for assistance in compassing the ruin of his country.

[57] But the hour is coming and now is, when the power of the leaders of the Rebellion to delude and inflame must cease. There is no bitterness on the part of the masses. The people of the South are not going to wage an eternal war for the wretched pretexts by which this rebellion is sought to be justified. The bonds that unite us as one People,–a substantial community of origin, language, belief, and law (the four great ties that hold the societies of men together); common national and political interests; a common history; a common pride in a glorious ancestry; a common interest in this great heritage of blessings; the very geographical features of the country; the mighty rivers that cross the lines of climate, and thus facilitate the interchange of natural and industrial products, while the wonder-working arm of the engineer has levelled the mountain-walls which separate the East and West, compelling your own Alleghanies, my Maryland and Pennsylvania friends, to open wide their everlasting doors to the chariot-wheels of traffic and travel,–these bonds of union are of perennial force and energy, while the causes of alienation are imaginary, factitious, and transient. The heart of the People, North and South, is for the Union. Indications, too plain to be mistaken, announce the fact, both in the East and the West of the States in rebellion. In North Carolina and Arkansas the fatal charm at length is broken. At Raleigh and Little Rock the dips of honest and brave men are unsealed, and an independent press is unlimbering its artillery. When its rifled cannon shall begin to roar, the hosts of treasonable sophistry–the mad delusions of the day–will fly like the Rebel army through the passes of yonder mountain. The weary masses of the people are yearning to see the dear old flag again floating upon their capitols, and they sigh for the return of the peace, prosperity, and happiness which they enjoyed under a government whose power was felt only in its blessings.

[58] And now, friends, fellow-citizens of Gettysburg and Pennsylvania, and you from remoter States, let me again, as we part, invoke your benediction on these honored graves. You feel, though the occasion is mournful, that it is good to be here. You feel that it was greatly auspicious for the cause of the country, that the men of the East and the men of the West, the men of nineteen sister States, stood side by side, on the perilous ridges of the battle. You now feel it a new bond of union, that they shall lie side by side, till a clarion, louder than that which marshalled them to the combat, shall awake their slumbers. God bless the Union;–it is dearer to us for the blood of brave men which has been shed in its defence. The spots on which they stood and fell; these pleasant heights; the fertile plain beneath them; the thriving village whose streets so lately rang with the strange din of war; the fields beyond the ridge, where the noble Reynolds held the advancing foe at bay, and, while he gave up his own life, assured by his forethought and self-sacrifice the triumph of the two succeeding days; the little streams which wind through the hills, on whose banks in after-times the wondering ploughman will turn up, with the rude weapons of savage warfare, the fearful missiles of modern artillery; Seminary Ridge, the Peach-Orchard, Cemetery, Culp, and Wolf Hill, Round Top, Little Round Top, humble names, henceforward dear and famous,–no lapse of time, no distance of space, shall cause you to be forgotten. “The whole earth,” said Pericles, as he stood over the remains of his fellow-citizens, who had fallen in the first year of the Peloponnesian War,–“the whole earth is the sepulchre of illustrious men.” All time, he might have added, is the millennium of their glory. Surely I would do no injustice to the other noble achievements of the war, which have reflected such honor on both arms of the service, and have entitled the armies and the navy of the United States, their officers and men, to the warmest thanks and the richest rewards which a grateful people can pay. But they, I am sure, will join us in saying, as we bid farewell to the dust of these martyr-heroes, that wheresoever throughout the civilized world the accounts of this great warfare are read, and down to the latest period of recorded time, in the glorious annals of our common country there will be no brighter page than that which relates THE BATTLES OF GETTYSBURG.

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We Spoke to the Palestinian American Refused a DNC Speech

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The Uncommitted movement put forward Georgia State Rep. Ruwa Romman to speak on the horrors in Gaza at the DNC last month. The party refused to let her speak. We talked with her about the refusal and the future of the Democrats and Palestine.

Portrait of Ruwa Romman. (ruwa4georgia.com)

As the Uncommitted delegates pushed for a Palestinian speaker at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) last month, Georgia state representative Ruwa Romman emerged as the top contender. As someone willing to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris while also uplifting the Palestinian cause and telling her personal story, she seemed a diplomatic choice — someone who could please most of the messy coalition that makes up her party, given her track record as a loyal Democrat willing to work within the system.

In the speech that she would have given — a draft of which was leaked to and published by Mother Jones that week — Romman would have told the delegates about her Palestine-born grandfather and the pain of seeing Palestinians massacred and displaced. She also would have described the hope contained in this awful moment, witnessing “something profound: a beautiful, multiracial, multifaith and multigenerational coalition rising from despair within our Democratic Party.” She would not have called for an arms embargo to Israel.

Many at the convention supported Romman and the Uncommitted movement. Delegates wore keffiyehs and waved Palestinian flags in support of an arms embargo and for the inclusion of Romman as a speaker. But that “many” didn’t include the cautious centrists — most importantly Harris herself — or the big donors who make the decisions for the party who have been fine to continue greenlighting Israel’s bloodletting. After extensive organizing, on the last day of the convention, the word on Romman’s speech came back from the party: no.

“We lost our minds. Because we were ‘doing everything right,’” Romman says” — the movement was doing the opposite of declaring war on the Democratic Party. “We were there to push for the agreement for stopping weapons to Israel. That was the main goal. [The speaker’s spot] was supposed to be a symbolic gesture to show [pro-Palestine forces] still had a place in this party. The fact that they said no broke something in all of us.”

What was especially insulting, Romman emphasizes, is that on the same day that the DNC refused her a spot, Georgia Republican Geoff Duncan — a far-right former lieutenant governor and state representative who, along with other horrible characters like Dick Cheney, happens to oppose Donald Trump — spoke. When she learned that Duncan, who is directly responsible for Georgia’s “Heartbeat Bill, which has significantly curbed reproductive rights in that state, and whose last act before leaving office was a hateful ant-trans bill, “That’s when I personally lost my mind.”

“Republicans are not going to vote for us,” Romman emphasizes. “Democrats are basically a coalition government: you’ve got DSA members, you’ve got Working Families party members. The part I didn’t expect was Republicans to be included in that equation and the conversation” — and that Republicans appeared to be valued by the Democratic Party more than elected officials like her.

“The reality is that Republicans are not going to vote for us,” Romman says. “I talk to them all the time in my district. They have told me this to my face. I think it’s genuinely absurd that we prioritize having somebody like Geoff Duncan over a speaker who’s Palestinian.”

Her speech leaked, and the Uncommitted movement gave the DNC until 6 p.m. At 6:30, the organizers asked Romman to deliver it at a protest outside the DNC.

The DNC leadership’s indifference was a devastating experience. “I’m talking about saving lives of people that I know.” Her party leadership didn’t seem to care.

On the other hand, Romman notes, “the base has shifted. The party is eventually going to catch up.” Numerous polls show that average Democratic voters overwhelmingly agree with demands for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza. After all the many barbarities Israel has carried out during this war, its esteem among such voters will be extremely low for a very long time.

Romman dates her political involvement to 2020, when she and her friends were organized by young Democrats working to mobilize voters. Once Romman discovered canvassing, she was hooked. “I didn’t know that was something people did. I didn’t know that was a method we could use to connect with people. When you talk to somebody directly, it hits so much deeper than an ad.”

She worked for the Council on American-Islamic Relations Georgia and other nonprofits for a few years and went to graduate school. But as soon as she returned to Georgia in 2020, she dove back into electoral politics, cofounding the Georgia Volunteer Hub, which helped to integrate outside volunteers into the state’s existing voter turnout structure.

“I love organization, I love building infrastructure,” she says.

A friend looked up Romman’s address and found that she lived in a blue district with an open seat. In September 2022, she launched a campaign for Georgia’s House of Representatives for the 97th district. She faced a competitive primary and general, but her campaign knocked on fifteen thousand doors. She received 57 percent of the vote. “That was because we threw the kitchen sink at it and did a ton of work for turnout.”

In 2022, the congressperson for Romman’s district endorsed her Democratic primary opponent. In the general election, she says her Republican opponent claimed she was a Hamas terrorist. “But we had the people, and that’s the part that matters.”

In 2022, Romman became the first Muslim and Palestinian woman elected to the Georgia State House of Representatives. This year, she and her volunteers are working to pull it off again. She will face Republican Michael Corbin in the general election. Hers is a blue district but hardly guaranteed: it has historically been a low turnout district. Hers could be one of those down-ballot opportunities for progressives to hold onto power while turning out voters to defeat the MAGA right in a critical swing state.

So far, Hamas isn’t coming up at the doors. “The things people are focusing on are very different,” she says. “They want to talk about education, they want to talk about their school, they want to talk about their kids, they want to talk about health care, student loans, the rising cost of everything.”

In the wake of the DNC debacle, Romman will continue to approach the Palestinian cause in the same way she runs for reelection. While she is disappointed in the party leadership, she looks at building support for Palestine as a practical matter: building the kind of infrastructure and power that is so robust that they “have no choice but to listen.”