Speechify 2.0

Name: Speechify 2.0
Rating: 5.0 (2 reviews)

Have your computer read to you.

5.0•2 reviews•

18 followers

Have your computer read to you.

5.0•2 reviews•

18 followers

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I built speechify because I'm dyslexic so it's easier for me to listen than to read. Listen to PDFs, Websites, Copied Texts, and pictures from your iPhone. Listen at 900 words per minute, Keyboard shortcuts, continue listening on your iPhone or Android.

Launch tags:Android•iOS•Chrome Extensions

Launch Team

Krisp Accent Conversion — Understand accented speech in real time

Understand accented speech in real time

Promoted

Speechify

Maker

I made Speechify because I'm very dyslexic and it is much easier for me to listen than to read. Average reading speed is 200 words per minute. I listen at 600 words per minute. I also retain and understand better while listening, I get less tired, and I stay more focused and less bored. This is the case for most auditory learners. Speechify on iPhone is used by kids and professionals with Dyslexia ADD and concussions all over the world. It helps people who are second language learners and is used by College Students and professionals who want to get through material faster and not be affected by blue light while staring at their screen. Now you can use it on your Mac! Download the extended version of the app here https://getspeechify.com/ to be able to highlight text within any application on your computer and have that read aloud. Speechify is FREE, here are the companion apps: 📱iPhone/iPad (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/...) 📳Android https://play.google.com/store/ap... 🔴Chrome (https://chrome.google.com/websto...) Hats off to Dmitry for carrying this project to the finish line and putting it on the app store. I am amazed by you every day. And as always, hats off to Simeon, sometimes I think that some magical being is looking out for me that I get lucky enough to work with someone like you and with the rest of this team. If you are interested in the Full dyslexia story behind how this app came to be, here it is: I am dyslexic. Reading a sentence takes me the same amount of energy and brainpower as most people take when solving a four digit long division math equation in their head. I was diagnosed in 3rd grade. It was the best day of my life. Before that, I would pretend to read in elementary school. I'd sit with the book open in front of me and pass my finger under the words so that people (my parents, teachers, friends, siblings) wouldn't think I was dumb, or lazy. Reading circles were terrifying. One by one kids would read. And it would get closer to me. My hands would start to sweat. So I timed it just right. And right before it was my turn… I'd go hide in the bathroom. I did this every time. I use to dream about reading. When I was young I wanted to be President, a Billionaire, and a Pop-Star. I knew that to be two of these things I had to be able to read. So I walked around everywhere with a book under my arm, and imagine that one day I'd be able to read it. The book I wanted to read the most was Harry Potter. But after the 20th time a librarian woke me up because I'd fallen asleep with my face berried in the third page of the book I gave up. Luckily my Dad didn't give up on me. He never gave up on me. Ever. My Dad worked really hard when we were young. He almost never had time to eat dinner with us. But he would come home early for this: He'd sit on my bed. And in a slow, deep voice. He would read Harry Potter to me. My eyes would light up. I loved this so much. When my Dad couldn't make it home in time, he'd record himself reading Harry Potter on a cassette tape. I use to fall asleep listening to that cassette tape. Over and over and over, listening to my Dad's voice. I was double lucky because I also had my Mom (aka MamaBear). And she cares. And she is very good at research. One day, likely during the 1000th time she searched, or in one of the 100 books she read on the topic she learned about "Dyslexia" she thought that maybe I had that. She got me tested. Turns out that is exactly what I had. That, and ADD. When I learned I was Dyslexic, I took the deepest sigh you've ever heard a 9 year old give. "Finally!" I thought, "I'm not broken, I'm not dumb, and I am definitely NOT LAZY!" "Great," I thought, "now we know what the problem is called, let's fix it!" My Dad found the actual audiobook for Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, narrated by Jim Dale. He got it for me. I listen to it 22 times in a row. Those first three pages I would fall asleep on in the library? I have them memorized. Along with the rest of the first chapter of the book. 13 years later. I didn't stop listening. I listen to every book in that series. Then Narnia, then Lord of the Rings, then Game of Thrones, Pillars of the Earth, Atlas Shrugged. I never stopped listening. I had a 20 ton boulder chained to my back that stopped me from being the person I wanted to be. Every sentence I read took ages. Now I had wings. I started pushing my listening speed, from 1x to 1.25x, 1.5x, 2x, then 2.5x speed. Because the change was gradual I grew with it, and retained every word. I listened while biking to school. When waiting for my mom to pick me up from practice. Before I fell asleep every night. When cleaning my room or walking outside. On the toilet. I started finishing 2 audiobooks every week. 100 books a year. I've been going at this rate for 12 years. It takes no effort, and in fact, it's the best part of my day. There isn't an audiobook for every book you get assigned in school. My high school summer reading book was "Marly and Me" and it did not have an audiobook. So the summer before high school I'd sit with my mom and her bed and she would read "Marly and Me" to me. I was in special-ed class for one period every day throughout high school. I experimented a lot. And began using technology in a way no special ed teacher could have taught me. I took full responsibility for my own accommodations and education. I asked for help, and figured out how I learned best. I also took almost every AP and Honors class offered by my school, earned above a 4.0 GPA, and navigated through battles with administration and teachers who thought dyslexia is "a myth". Later, I'll go in depth into the tools I used throughout this time and how I did it. I also had some amazing teachers who were unfathomably supportive. Through hard work (and convincing a lot teachers to give me exceptions) I got accepted to Brown University. One problem….I couldn't read my summer reading book - there was no audiobook for this book. In the same way, there are no audiobooks for most textbooks, most handouts, PDF's, emails, and wikipedia pages one needs to read for school. So, I sat next to my Mom on her bed. And she read my college summer reading book. But my Mom worked, and didn't have time to read me the whole book. The night before flying to Brown, to start college, I was only 2/3rds of the way through the book. I had no other choice, I hacked an old text to speech computer system to read the remaining portion of the book over night into my iPhone and then listen to it on the plane. It worked! I taught myself to code on the side (more on how I made this happen even with dyslexia later in the book) and improved the software further. I spent the next 4 years in college perfecting this system. Instead of slaving over a textbook while chained to my desk - I'd take 15 quick photos and then listen while eating breakfast or Longboarding to class. I'd listen to the 100+ pages of reading assigned per week for my classes while on the train or on the bus to hackathons. Often, it felt like I was the only one doing the readings in my classes. Over time I made the app better and better and published the iPhone app and for others to use. Simeon Dmitry and others joined me in the mission to make accessibility accessible to everyone. Finally, we are very happy to make the Mac app available on the Mac app store! :) Above all else, your mission is to be who you needed most when you were growing up. At least, it's mine. PS. I'm writing a book about dyslexia, here it is: https://www.facebook.com/cweitzm...

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7yr ago

Speechify

Maker

Quick ask: It seems that since being launched Speechify is now listed on the top 100 productivity apps on the Mac app Store which is amazing. We want to help it keep climb in and to do that we need your help in giving it 5 star reviews on the Mac app Store. if you want more people to learn about this free app, text to speech, and dyslexia, please go review the app on the Mac app store (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/...) thank you! 🙏

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7yr ago

OutBully

Love the idea! I think its great for helping people who have trouble reading and can help me out so much as well. What are some features that you are looking on adding in the next version? I create lots of content via text and want to find a good way to convert it to speech

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6yr ago

Just tested out 2.0. This app may be a game Changer. Just ran an experiment on a notecard I hand wrote in crappy hand writing and it was very close to being able to read. I have carpal tunnel and can get physically sick staring at a screen too long. I am experimenting with hand writing as opposed to using tools but the challenge up until this point is that I did not have a great way to digitize my hand writing. Not quite there yet but close enough that I can see it getting there in less than a year.

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7yr ago

was a speechify user for a while but eventually couldn't justify $139/yr for what i actually used it for — which was basically just listening to articles on my commute. the feature set is impressive but 80% of it sat unused

switched to speakeasy (speakeasy.studio.gold) a few months ago. it's not trying to be a full reading suite — it literally just does "paste url, get audio". and that's the thing i needed. free tier gives you 3 articles/week which is fine for casual use, pro is a fraction of speechify's price

for people who want the full narrated-book, browser-extension, chrome-highlights experience speechify is probably still the move. but if you're mostly just trying to get through your saved articles without staring at a screen, there are cheaper ways to do it now 🎧

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9d ago

Looks great, Cliff!

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7yr ago

Stole $150 from me with no permission

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6yr ago

5.0

Based on 2 reviews

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