STEM reading is the hardest reading
Dense pages, long sentences and notation at once. Decoding the words leaves less attention for the ideas.
Dyslexia · listening and reading together
Hear the textbook while you read it.
Listening while following the text is one of the most widely used reading supports for dyslexia. Most tools that offer it stop working at the first equation. Aethel reads technical books and papers aloud with each sentence highlighted, speaks the equations as maths, and lets you set the text size, spacing and typeface that suit you.
Five books and an hour of narration free. No card needed.
The problem
Read-aloud tools skip the maths
A voice that goes silent at each formula leaves gaps exactly where the explanation is.
Losing the line
Small print and tight spacing make it easy to skip a line or read one twice.
How Aethel helps
Sentence-by-sentence highlighting
The sentence being read is highlighted. Tap any sentence to hear it again or to continue from there.
Your own page
Choose the text size, the line spacing, a serif or sans-serif typeface and the page width. A warm paper theme and a dark theme reduce glare.
Equations in words
Formulas are read as part of the sentence, so the explanation is not interrupted, and they stay on screen typeset.
Your speed
Any speed from 0.8× to 2.5× in small steps, without the voice changing pitch.
What you will hear
These are produced live by the same speech engine the app uses. Press Listen to hear them in your device's voice; in the app you choose a studio or ElevenLabs voice.
x = (−b ± √(b² − 4ac)) / 2a
Aethel says
x equals the quantity negative b plus or minus the square root of the quantity b squared minus 4 a c, over 2a
σ² = (1/n) Σᵢ (xᵢ − μ)²
Aethel says
sigma squared equals the quantity 1 over n, times the sum over i of the quantity x sub i minus mu, squared
Get started in three steps
- 1Create a free account.
- 2Import a chapter as a PDF or EPUB.
- 3Open the display settings (Aa) and set the size, spacing and typeface. Then press play and follow the highlight.
Questions
Is Aethel assistive technology?
It is a reading tool, not a medical or diagnostic product. Many dyslexic readers use text-to-speech with highlighting as a study support, and Aethel offers that for technical material. It works alongside the tools you already use.
Does it have a dyslexia typeface?
It offers a clear sans-serif and a serif typeface, with adjustable size and spacing. A dedicated dyslexia typeface is not included at the moment.
Can my university's disability service provide it?
Disability and accessibility services can contact us through the partners page. If you receive funding for study tools, ask your adviser what your scheme covers.
Will it read scanned handouts?
Yes. Scanned pages are read with text recognition. Clean scans read well; faint photocopies produce mistakes.
Hear your own book this way.
Free to start: five books and an hour of narration, no card needed.