What is Wikispeech and why does it matter?

Wikispeech is an open-source text-to-speech solution built for Wikipedia and other Wikimedia platforms. It makes it possible to listen to articles instead of reading them—opening up free knowledge in a fundamentally new way.

Unlike most existing text-to-speech solutions, which are often costly and closed, Wikispeech is being developed as an open and accessible alternative, designed for people who cannot or prefer not to read.

What makes Wikispeech unique is not just that it converts text to speech. It is designed to be:

• Open and community-driven – built and improved by volunteers, like Wikipedia itself
• Accessible by default – no expensive software or advanced devices required
• Scalable across languages – with tools to collect speech data and develop new voices over time

In short: Wikispeech is not just a feature. It is infrastructure for making knowledge accessible beyond text.

Why this matters

Today, hundreds of millions and about 10% of people are excluded from written knowledge. Around 775 million people worldwide are illiterate. Nearly 300 million live with visual impairments, and millions more face cognitive challenges such as dyslexia, ADHD, or aphasia.^[1][2][3]

As long as knowledge is primarily text-based, large groups remain excluded.

Wikispeech aims to change that by making knowledge accessible through listening. It is designed for people who cannot easily take part in written content, but benefits anyone who prefers to learn by listening.^[4]

By expanding how knowledge can be accessed, Wikispeech contributes to Wikimedia’s goal of knowledge equity: ensuring that more people, regardless of ability, language, or context, can take part in and benefit from free knowledge.

Current focus

Right now, the project focuses on making Wikipedia content more accessible for people with cognitive disabilities. This work is carried out in collaboration with organisations such as such as The Swedish National Association for Aphasia, The Swedish National Association for Dyslexia and Dyscalculia and The Swedish Agency for Accessible Media.

Together, we explore how content, structure, and audio can better support different ways of understanding information.

Built with and for the community

In true Wikimedia spirit, Wikispeech is developed as an open and collaborative project. Volunteers can:

• improve pronunciation and voice quality
• identify and correct errors
• contribute to new languages and voices

We are also developing tools to collect speech data, enabling continuous improvement and expansion.

All tools and data are released under free licenses, making them useful not only within Wikimedia, but also for the broader ecosystem of open speech technology.

Looking ahead

Wikispeech aims to become available across Wikimedia platforms, allowing anyone to listen to knowledge without needing special tools or advanced technology.

By making knowledge accessible in more ways, we move closer to a world where everyone can truly take part in the sum of all knowledge.