Speechify
Most people know the term dyslexia, even if they find it ironic that it isn’t spelled phonetically. Most also know that it refers to people who have a uniquely hard time reading and writing. Well, I’m one of those people. One of the approximately 40 million US adults who struggle to read and write. That’s right, I’m a blogger who has a hard time reading and writing about the research that I use in my own articles. But I’m far from alone. Approximately one in ten people have dyslexia. Yet, only around 5% of these 40 million US adults actually have a proper diagnosis. For the rest of us, free assistive technology has to fill in wherever possible. This is where things like auto-correct, audiobooks, screen readers, and the Speechify app make life bearable (Zauderer, 2026).
For context, of the more than 40 million US adults with dyslexia, around 2 million have a formal diagnosis. Approximately 20% of students have a learning disability that concerns language processing, and the most common learning disability is dyslexia. Some statistics state that diagnoses skew heavily towards men and boys. While this is true, it most likely reflects evaluation processes that have historically favored men and boys. Other statistics have shown that women and girls are equally affected by dyslexia (Zauderer, 2026).
The broader picture is even more damning. Around 5% of US adults are functionally illiterate and roughly 25% read below a 6th-grade level. More than 80% of people with dyslexia struggle with organization, planning, punctuality, and focus. Around 80% of people in general falsely assume dyslexia is a cognitive disability or connected to one, likely because of its strong correlation with other neurodiversities. For example, 30% of dyslexic kids also have ADHD, and it has been shown to run in families. However, more than 20% of people with dyslexia work in computer science, arts, economics, mathematics, mechanics, and sports (Zauderer, 2026).
But let’s not stop there. More than 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic. Albert Einstein was dyslexic. With proper accommodations, successful learning is almost guaranteed. Dyslexia simply affects how words are interpreted and processed phonologically, affecting how a person reads, speaks, spells, and learns new languages. These processing differences may explain why people with dyslexia tend to be more creative thinkers, which may also explain why so many of us gravitate to the arts. Celebrity examples include people like Richard Branson, Steven Spielberg, Whoopi Goldberg, Cher, Anderson Cooper, Tom Holland, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom. One quick search will tell you all about Jamie Oliver and his success in the face of crippling dyslexia struggles (Boschen, 2024; Zauderer, 2026).
All of these statistics speak to why I reviewed Speechify. I could go on for ages about the adaptations and accessibility that have helped me throughout my life, but I’ll try to focus on Speechify here. When I first heard about the app, I was almost in tears. An app that scans your book page by page and reads it to you, highlighting each word as it goes. I wished I’d had this when I was fighting through “simple” school books as a pre-teen and teen.
I tried the free version in college and again recently, and it definitely sped up my reading. There were a dozen voices to choose from, and I loved it. My free six-month trial period started immediately via email. I uploaded a few books and marveled at the sense of ease it gave me. Then I hit the paywall.
What was left on the free plan was a robotic voice with significantly lower quality than the free screen reader included on my phone and computer. My other options were also limited. I could buy a book through their store. I could scan some of the barcodes on other books. Or I could scan in books, page by page. By the time I’d done that, I was ready to buy the audiobook and return the print copy, or give in and pay the $139 for the premium membership. Honestly, I wish I could give this a better review. If the paywall were a little easier to climb, I’d be campaigning for the company myself. But for now, I recommend buying and borrowing ebooks and audiobooks through other means. The concept is great, and I hope that in the future I can come back and write Speechify a glowing review (Speechify Inc, 2026).
Resources:
Boschen, J. (2024). Famous People with Dyslexia: A List for Students and Teachers. What I Have Learned. https://whatihavelearnedteaching.com/famous-people-with-dyslexia/
Speechify Inc. (2026). About. Speechify. https://speechify.com/about/
Zauderer, S. (2026). 33 Dyslexia Statistics & Facts: How Many People Have Dyslexia. Cross River Therapy. https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/research/dyslexia-statistics
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