Other PDF Issues

Fix Adobe Acrobat Text-to-Speech Spelling Out Words on Samsung

Khadija Khan Oct 19, 2026 869 views

Question details

The user needs to fix an issue where the text-to-speech (Read Aloud) feature in a PDF reader spells out words letter by letter instead of pronouncing them normally.

How to Fix Adobe Acrobat Text-to-Speech Spelling Out Words on Samsung

Product: Adobe Acrobat
Device & OS: Samsung (Android)
Scenario: Using the text-to-speech or Read Aloud feature to listen to a PDF document on a mobile device.
Observed behavior: The text-to-speech engine reads words as individual letters (e.g., spelling out 't-h-e' instead of saying 'the').

Before you start

Verify whether this issue happens with just one specific PDF document or if it occurs across all files you open on your device.

Solution 1Recommended

Check the PDF Document for Hidden Formatting Spaces

Ensure the document's text formatting does not contain spaces between letters, which forces the TTS engine to spell words out individually.

Often, PDFs created from certain software or OCR scanners place microscopic spaces between letters for formatting purposes. Text-to-speech engines interpret these spaces literally, reading 'T H E' instead of 'THE'.

Select the affected text

Open the affected PDF and long-press on the word 'the' to highlight it.

Analyze the highlight

Check if the highlight selects the entire word smoothly or if it snaps to individual characters, indicating hidden spaces.

Reformat or convert the file

If the text is spaced out, you will need to open the original source document, correct the spacing, and re-export it as a PDF.

Document Specificity: If the problem only happens on one specific PDF file, the issue is almost certainly due to how the document's text layer was encoded, rather than an app or device malfunction.

Solution 2

Verify Samsung Device Language and TTS Settings

Test and adjust the system's text-to-speech engine settings to ensure the correct language and engine are selected.

Listen to PDFs Naturally with WPS Office

If your current PDF reader continues to spell out words incorrectly, try WPS Office. It includes a built-in Audio Reading tool optimized to recognize and pronounce text naturally on Android devices.

1. Install WPS Office: Download and install the free WPS Office app from the Google Play Store.
2. Open your PDF: Launch the app and tap on your PDF document to open it in the viewer.
3. Start Audio Reading: Tap the 'Tools' icon at the bottom, go to the 'View' tab, and select 'Audio Reading' to listen to your document clearly.

Natural and accurate audio reading engine for PDF documents.Fully compatible with all standard PDF formats and Microsoft Office files.Free, lightweight, and fast alternative to heavy PDF readers.Easily edit, annotate, and manage files seamlessly on mobile.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my text-to-speech read punctuation and spell out words?

This happens if the device's accessibility settings are configured to read detailed punctuation (verbosity settings), or if the document's text is formatted with spaces between each letter, tricking the engine into reading them as initials.

How do I change the default text-to-speech engine on an Android device?

Go to your device Settings > General Management > Text-to-speech output, tap on 'Preferred engine', and select an alternative like 'Speech Services by Google'.

Does WPS Office support reading PDFs aloud on mobile?

Yes, WPS Office features a built-in Audio Reading tool under the View menu that can seamlessly read PDF documents aloud with natural pacing and pronunciation.

PDF Troubleshooting