Chrome Extension That Reads Webpages Aloud
Read any webpage aloud with natural-sounding voices. Speed control, position memory, free.
Build a Chrome extension called "Text to Speech Reader" that reads webpage content aloud. The extension should: (1) provide a "Read this page" button in the popup that reads the main article text from the current page, (2) provide a context menu item "Read selection" for reading just the highlighted text, (3) use the browser's built-in Web Speech API (speechSynthesis) — no external API needed, (4) include playback controls in a small floating widget on the page: play, pause, stop, speed (0.5x to 2x), voice selector (use available voices from speechSynthesis.getVoices), (5) remember the current position when the user navigates away and offer to resume on return. Permissions: storage, activeTab, contextMenus. Manifest V3 with content script.
What this extension does
Reads webpage articles or highlighted text aloud using natural-sounding voices. Includes speed control, voice selection, and position memory so the user can pause and resume across visits.
How it works
A content script extracts main article content using readability heuristics. The Web Speech API (speechSynthesis.speak) converts text to audio in the browser — no external service needed. A floating widget controls playback. Position is saved to chrome.storage on pause.
Permissions used: storage, activeTab, contextMenus
Who builds this
For accessibility users, multitaskers who want to "listen-read" articles while doing other things, language learners practicing pronunciation, and anyone with eye strain.
How to build it in 3 minutes
- Sign in to PlugThis and open the chat input.
- Copy the prompt above and paste it into the chat.
- PlugThis generates the full Manifest V3 extension in 60-90 seconds.
- Download the zip, extract it, and load it via
chrome://extensionsdeveloper mode.
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Paste the prompt above into PlugThis and ship your extension in 3 minutes.