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Reading Help

Text-to-Speech, OCR, Reading Mode, Dyslexia Mode and Maths Support - tools to make reading easier.

What’s in This Section

Reading Help provides tools for anyone who finds screen reading tiring, difficult, or overwhelming. Whether you prefer listening to reading, need text extracted from images, or want a cleaner reading environment.

Features: Text-to-Speech, OCR, Reading Mode, Dyslexia Mode, Maths Support

Text-to-Speech (TTS)

What It Does

Reads text aloud and highlights the block being read. Select text and use the Read button in the highlight menu, or click a paragraph with Read Aloud on. Turn on Word by Word for per-word highlighting.

How to Enable

  1. Click the AssisT icon
  2. Open the Reading group
  3. Toggle Read Aloud ON

Using TTS

Read selected text:

  1. Highlight any text on a page
  2. Click the speaker icon in the highlight menu
  3. Text is read aloud and the block being read is highlighted

Read by clicking:

  1. With Read Aloud on, click a paragraph
  2. How much is read depends on Read on click: This paragraph, This section or Whole page (skip menus)
  3. The Read Page button in the Reading group reads the page without clicking

Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Ctrl+Shift+SpacePause/Resume
Ctrl+Shift+SStop

No shortcut starts a read. While something is being read, Space pauses and resumes, + and - make it faster or slower, and Escape stops it.

Quick Settings

  • Voice — Choose from available system voices
  • Speed — Adjust reading speed (0.5x to 2x)
  • Highlight While Reading — Switch the highlighting on or off
  • Highlight colour — Change highlight colour

Want more control? See Text-to-Speech Deep Dive for all settings.

OCR (Screenshot to Text)

What It Does

Extracts text from images, PDFs, and any part of your screen. Take a screenshot and AssisT converts the image to editable, readable text.

How to Enable

Use the shortcut to start capturing.

Recognition happens on your device, and the recognition engine and the English language file ship inside AssisT, so English needs no download at all. For another language, the first time, AssisT asks whether it may download that language’s file from jsDelivr, a public file server, and Chrome asks for permission in the same press. AssisT then downloads that one file, checks it, and keeps it on your device, so it is downloaded only once. Your image never leaves your device. If you use the optional AI proofread or summarise on the recognised text, that text goes to the AI provider you chose in AI setup.

Using OCR

  1. Press Alt+O to start screenshot mode
  2. Click and drag to select the area containing text
  3. Release to capture
  4. View extracted text in the popup modal
  5. Copy, edit, or have it read aloud

Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Alt+OStart screenshot capture
EscapeClose OCR modal

Copy and Read aloud are buttons in the OCR window.

Tips

  • Works on images, PDFs, and even text embedded in videos (paused)
  • Better lighting and contrast = better results
  • Can read multiple columns — captures left-to-right, top-to-bottom
  • Supports multiple languages

Reading Mode

What It Does

Strips away ads, sidebars, and distractions. Presents article content in a clean format optimised for reading.

How to Enable

  1. Click the AssisT icon
  2. Open the Reading group
  3. Toggle Reading Mode ON

Or press Alt+R on any article page.

Using Reading Mode

  • Enter: Press Alt+R or click the Reading Mode button
  • Exit: Press Escape or click the Exit button
  • Scroll: Scroll as you normally would

What It Removes

  • Navigation menus and headers
  • Advertisements and popups
  • Sidebars and related content
  • Social media widgets
  • Comment sections

What It Keeps

  • Article title and author
  • Main content and images
  • Essential formatting (headers, lists, quotes)

Reading Mode uses a fixed layout: a cream background and 18px Arial. To change fonts and spacing, use Text Customization on normal pages.

Dyslexia Mode

What It Does

Applies dyslexia-friendly text formatting to any webpage. Choose from three specialised reading modes:

ModeDescription
Bionic ReadingBolds first part of each word to guide eyes
Syllable HighlightingColours syllables differently for easier decoding
Grammar Colour-CodingColours parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.)

How to Enable

  1. Click the AssisT icon
  2. Open the Reading group
  3. Toggle Dyslexia Mode ON
  4. Select your preferred mode

Or press Alt+Y to toggle with your last-used mode.

Keyboard Shortcuts

ShortcutAction
Alt+YToggle Dyslexia Mode

Choosing a Mode

Bionic Reading — Best for:

  • Speed reading
  • Maintaining reading flow
  • Reducing eye jumping

Syllable Highlighting — Best for:

  • Phonetic learners
  • Breaking down unfamiliar words
  • Building decoding skills

Grammar Colour-Coding — Best for:

  • Language learners
  • Understanding sentence structure
  • Identifying parts of speech

Want more details? See Dyslexia Reading Modes Deep Dive.

Maths Support

What It Does

Two numeracy accommodations, off by default and loaded only when you switch them on.

On-page calculator - a floating panel with a scratchpad that keeps what you worked out, so you are not retyping a running total. It is fully operable from the keyboard, and focus moves into it when it opens.

Large-number formatting - groups the digits of long numbers on the page so they can be read at a glance, without breaking copy and paste. A screen reader hears the number as words rather than digit by digit. Place-value colouring is optional.

Equation Read-Aloud

With the Read equations aloud companion feature on, equations are spoken as part of the ordinary reading flow with synchronised highlighting, instead of being skipped or read as a string of symbols. It is on by default and can be switched off in the popup’s Reading group.

How to Enable

  1. Click the AssisT icon
  2. Open the Reading group
  3. Toggle Maths Support ON

For Educators & Parents

Why Reading Help Matters

For students with dyslexia:

  • TTS provides auditory input alongside visual
  • Dyslexia modes reduce letter/word confusion
  • Reading Mode eliminates overwhelming visual clutter

For students with ADHD:

  • Reading Mode removes distractions
  • TTS maintains engagement
  • Progress tracking shows how far they’ve read

For English language learners:

  • TTS models pronunciation
  • OCR helps with inaccessible documents
  • Slower TTS speed aids comprehension

Classroom Tips

  1. Start with TTS — Most universally helpful
  2. Let students choose their Dyslexia mode — Preferences vary
  3. Use Reading Mode for assignments — Reduces distraction during reading time
  4. OCR for printed handouts — Makes paper documents accessible

Privacy Note

Reading Help works on your device. Two things can send text out, and only if you choose them: an online read-aloud voice sends the text it speaks to Google or Microsoft, and the optional AI proofread or summarise in OCR sends the recognised text to the AI provider you chose in AI setup. Images never leave the device.

Learn More