British voice text to speech
The same reader with the en-GB voices sorted to the top, for when "schedule" has a sh and "tomato" behaves itself.
Guide
How to use it
- The voice list opens with your device’s en-GB voices, pick one (names like Daniel, Kate, Sonia and "Google UK English" are the usual suspects).
- No en-GB voice installed? Add one in system settings, macOS: Spoken Content, Windows: Speech settings, then reload.
- Speed and pitch work as on the main page, British voices at 0.9× acquire gravitas.
Examples
Where the accent matters
UK place names and words that differ (leisure, privacy, vitamin) read correctly under en-GB voices and jarringly under en-US ones. Scripts for UK audiences deserve UK proofing.
A placeholder narration in the right accent sets timing for an edit before the real voiceover records. The honest limitation applies, you screen-record the playback rather than downloading a file.
Learners targeting British English get consistent RP-ish models from Daniel and Kate at 0.8× speed, with the highlight tracking each word.
Method
How it works
Identical engine to the main text to speech page, with the voice sort preferring en-GB. Which British voices exist depends entirely on the device: Apple ships several (Daniel, Kate, Oliver, Serena), Windows carries Hazel and Sonia, Android’s Google voices include UK English.
Accent is a property of the voice, not a setting: there is no slider from American to British, you choose a voice recorded or modelled that way.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which British voice is best?
On Apple devices, the enhanced versions of Daniel and Kate (download them in Spoken Content settings) are markedly better than the compact defaults. Windows’ Sonia (natural) is the current standout there.
Why do I only see American voices?
No en-GB pack is installed. Add one in system speech settings, it is a small download, then reload this page and the sort will surface it.
Can it do regional accents, Scottish or Welsh?
Some platforms ship them: Apple has Scottish (Fiona) and Irish (Moira) voices. They appear in the list by their language tags when installed.
Is "Google UK English" local or cloud?
On Android it is typically local, in desktop Chrome the Google voices are cloud-synthesised and marked so in the list.
Why does it mispronounce my town?
Speech engines guess unfamiliar proper nouns. Respelling phonetically in the text ("Wooster" for Worcester) is the time-honoured workaround.
Same privacy story as the main page?
Yes: local voices stay on-device, cloud voices go to the OS vendor, and this site receives nothing either way.
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