How to Use Text to Speech Feature on Wattpad?

Key Takeaways

• Wattpad offers a built-in text-to-speech (TTS) feature that helps readers enjoy stories hands-free, making the platform more accessible for users with visual impairments, learning difficulties, or busy reading habits.
• Enabling Wattpad’s native TTS is simple: open a supported story and tap the Play/Speaker icon. If unavailable, device-level accessibility tools like VoiceOver, TalkBack, or Speak Screen can serve as alternatives.
• The default Wattpad TTS experience has notable limitations, including robotic voice quality, limited story compatibility, minimal playback controls, no offline listening, and frequent formatting or pronunciation errors.
• Murf emerges as a superior option for Wattpad readers by offering over 200 natural-sounding AI voices, multilingual support, emotional tone control, and customizable pacing, pitch, and emphasis.
• Its workflow is user-friendly: paste text, choose a voice, fine-tune delivery, and download audio for offline listening across any device.

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Wattpad is an online storytelling platform where writers can upload their own stories, and readers can enjoy them with a growing global community. The platform, as of mid-2024, has about 90 million users from 190 countries.

The text-to-speech (TTS) capability of this online platform helps audiences explore and consume literary content if they have difficulty reading normally. Some might be too busy, while others may struggle with learning difficulties.

The assistive technology ensures that users with any kind of reading preferences can absorb their favorite titles in an immersive manner.

In this article, let's look at how to leverage TTS on Wattpad to improve the overall content experience.

How to Enable Text-to-Speech on the Wattpad Platform

If you want to listen to your stories on Wattpad instead of reading them, you can enable its text-to-speech (TTS) feature — when it’s available.

First, open a Wattpad story and look for the “Play” button (or the speaker icon) at the top of the story page.

You can tap that icon and start listening to the story straightaway. The quick video below will guide you through the steps:

If the icon doesn’t appear, the story likely doesn’t support TTS. In that case, enable your device’s system-wide screen reading (built-in accessibility tool) or a third-party reader (a browser extension or a dedicated audiobook generation platform).

On mobile, make sure your device’s accessibility/voice-over tools are on (iOS VoiceOver, Android TalkBack, or Speak Screen). You can do so by navigating to System Settings and turning TTS "On" in the Accessibility Settings section. Note that it may be categorized differently on your phone depending on the OS version.

Then open the story — your device should read the text aloud even if Wattpad’s TTS is not enabled.

Limitations of Listening to Wattpad Stories in Default TTS

While Wattpad’s built-in TTS helps readers consume stories hands-free, it still comes with several constraints that affect the overall listening experience.

• Limited story support: Not all Wattpad stories offer TTS, which forces readers to switch tools or abandon listening altogether.
• Basic, robotic voice quality: The native voice lacks natural pacing and expression because it doesn't use artificial intelligence, which reduces immersion in dialogue-heavy stories.
• No control over voice style: Readers cannot change voices, accents, or tone to enjoy stories, making the experience less personalized.
• Inconsistent formatting handling: TTS often struggles with line breaks, special characters, or unique paragraph structures in written text common on Wattpad.
• Lack of pronunciation accuracy: Fictional names, slang, and multilingual phrases within written content are frequently mispronounced.
• No offline listening: Users must stay online, limiting flexibility when reading on the go or catering to specific reading difficulties.
• Minimal playback features: The default TTS-enabled player offers limited speed control and no bookmarking, which slows navigation.

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The aforementioned challenges also remain valid for built-in TTS features in a device's default accessibility settings that turn text into audio.

Murf: Best TTS Tool for Wattpad Readers

Murf is a leading AI-powered text-to-speech solution that transforms plain text into high-quality, expressive audio — ideal for fiction and long-form reading.

The platform offers more than 200 AI voices across 20+ languages. You can choose from different accents, ages, and styles.

It's advanced “Gen 2” engine produces lifelike speech, complete with natural intonation, pacing, and emotional tone — far closer to a human narrator than typical robotic TTS on Wattpad.

You also get full control over voice delivery.

Murf lets you adjust speed, pitch, pauses, emphasis, and pronunciation. That means you can shape narration to match the mood of any Wattpad chapter, whether it’s calm narration or dramatic dialogue.

Getting started is simple, as well.

Just paste your story text (or upload a document), pick a voice, fine-tune settings, and generate a clean audio file. It works across devices and supports downloads — perfect for offline listening on commutes or during downtime.

Ready to upgrade your Wattpad reading experience with human-like narration?

Sign up for Murf today and bring your favorite stories to life.