I built Speechable to solve a simple but overlooked problem on the web:
most written content isn’t accessible or convenient to consume.
People read blogs while commuting, multitasking, or dealing with visual or reading limitations — yet adding high-quality text-to-speech usually means expensive APIs, subscriptions, or privacy trade-offs.
Speechable fixes that.
What is Speechable?
Speechable is an open-source, AI-powered text-to-speech WordPress plugin that lets visitors listen to blog posts in natural-sounding voices — with no API keys, no external servers, and no recurring costs.
It runs entirely in the browser using modern neural speech models, making it fast, private, and easy to use.
Why I Built It
While experimenting with content accessibility and AI tooling, I noticed three recurring issues with existing TTS solutions:
- They depend on paid APIs
- They send user data to external servers
- They’re overkill for simple blogging needs
I wanted something:
- Free
- Privacy-first
- Simple enough for any WordPress site
- Good enough to actually sound human
Speechable is my answer to that.
How It Works (At a High Level)
Speechable integrates directly into WordPress and uses on-device neural text-to-speech. When a post is published, audio can be generated and embedded automatically — no backend processing required.
Everything runs locally in the browser, which means:
- No third-party tracking
- No latency from APIs
- No hidden costs
Core Features
Natural AI Voices
Speechable uses modern neural TTS models that sound clear and expressive — not robotic.
Multi-Language Support
Supports 12+ languages, including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
Voice Effects & Presets
Different listening styles like:
- Narrator
- Radio
- Robot
- Chipmunk
- Cave echo
Custom Audio Player
The player can be styled to match your website’s design.
Downloadable Audio
Visitors can download audio versions of posts for offline listening.
Word Highlighting
Text is highlighted in sync with the audio for better comprehension.
Local Audio Storage
Audio is stored with post metadata, avoiding regeneration and improving performance.
Who It’s For
- Bloggers who want higher engagement
- Educators building accessible content
- Indie creators experimenting with AI
- Anyone who wants their content to be heard, not just read
Open Source & Privacy-First
Speechable is fully open source and respects user privacy.
No tracking, no analytics, no data leaving the device.
If you care about an open and accessible web, this project is for you.
Explore the Project
- GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/tansihmittal/speechable
Contributions, feedback, and ideas are always welcome.
Final Thoughts
Speechable is a small project, but it represents how I like to build:
- Practical
- User-first
- Open
- And slightly opinionated about simplicity
If you use it or build on top of it, I’d love to hear how.
Feedback & Sharing
If you find Speechable useful or end up building something with it, I’d love to hear about it.
Feel free to share your thoughts or demos on X (Twitter) and tag me —
@glowdopera
Seeing how people use the project genuinely helps me improve it and decide what to build next.