Claro Read

ClaroRead is a toolbar with lots of useful features for reading and proofreading. Its main feature is text-vocalisation; reading text out using a synthetic voice. These voices are now quite life-like and there are lots of advantages to reading this way.

Here are my top three:

1. You don’t have to worry if you are slow at reading, ClaroRead can be set at the speed you want.
2. Reading along with the text vocalisation can help you take in the information better – because you are using two senses (sight and sound) instead of just one.
3. When you proofread visually, it can be easy to read what you expect to find rather than what is there. You’re much more likely to catch errors when you’re listening to your work.

The other features of Claro are also great, and they work well with text vocalisation:

• Choose between different genders and accents and set pitch and speed
• Have the text read back word by word or by sentences
• Convert text files so that they are readable by ClaroRead
• Check text for word confusion, e.g. writing ‘there’ when you meant ‘their’
• Predictive text
• Save an audio file of text being vocalised