Last updated: May 2026. A resource guide for CALL courses and language teachers covering audio tools, listening sites, and voice technology. Original page published 2011.
Contents
- Selected Sites for Listening Practice
- Text-to-Speech Tools
- Voice Recognition Tools
- Audio Utilities
- Audiobooks and Other Recordings
- Podcasts for English Learners and Teachers
1. Selected Sites for Listening Practice
Breaking News English — News stories rewritten at seven reading levels with accompanying audio, gap-fill exercises, vocabulary activities, and discussion questions; one of the most complete lesson-ready listening resources available. Example: DeepSeek lesson
ELLLO (English Listening Lesson Library Online) — Over 3,000 listening activities featuring speakers from around the world at various proficiency levels, with transcripts and quizzes. Example: Mixer: Favorite Season
Randall’s ESL Cyber Listening Lab — Graded audio quizzes covering everyday topics at easy, medium, and difficult levels, each with pre-listening, comprehension, and vocabulary exercises. Example: Travel Planning
LyricsTraining — Fill-in-the-blank listening exercises built around music videos, with difficulty levels ranging from beginner word completion to expert full transcription. Example: Someone Like You — Adele
LyricsGaps — Similar to LyricsTraining; song-based gap-fill activities with a large catalog and adjustable difficulty. Example: Shape of You — Ed Sheeran
BBC Learning English — Extensive library of audio and video lessons covering grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, and current events, organized by level. Example: 6 Minute English
VOA Learning English — News and feature stories from Voice of America written and read at slower speed with simpler vocabulary; good for lower-intermediate learners. Example: Words and Their Stories
Spotlight English — Short audio programs on interesting topics spoken at a slow, clear pace, with transcripts and discussion questions. Example: The Art of Storytelling
Deep English — Stories told at multiple speeds — slow, normal, and fast — allowing learners to build listening confidence progressively with the same content. Example: Sample Lessons
News in Levels — Current news stories rewritten and recorded at three difficulty levels (1–3), making it easy to assign the same story to learners of different proficiency. Example: Robot Dog Guards Historical Site
YouGlish — Search any word or phrase and hear it used in real YouTube videos with synchronized subtitles; useful for pronunciation modeling and in-context vocabulary. Example: nevertheless
Playphrase.me — Search a phrase and watch short clips from films and TV where native speakers say it in context; good for idioms, collocations, and natural speech patterns. Example: I couldn’t agree more
2. Text-to-Speech Tools
Text-to-speech tools have improved dramatically since the original version of this page. AI-generated voices in 2026 are largely indistinguishable from human speech in casual listening. The classroom applications are significant: reading aloud student-written text, creating listening models for pronunciation, producing audio versions of handouts, and demonstrating how changes in a written text affect spoken delivery.
NaturalReader — Long-standing, reliable TTS tool that reads web pages, PDFs, and uploaded documents; supports multiple voices and adjustable speed. Free tier covers everyday use; Premium at $9.99/month adds more voices and OCR for scanned documents.
TTSReader — Browser-based TTS requiring no account or installation; paste text or load a URL and it reads immediately. Free, with unlimited standard voices.
ElevenLabs — The current benchmark for AI voice quality; supports voice cloning and multilingual output. The free tier generates 10,000 characters/month, which covers classroom demonstration purposes. Paid plans from $5/month for more output.
TTSMaker — Fully free TTS with 200+ voices across multiple languages, no word limits, and MP3 download included — one of the most generous free options available. No account required.
Microsoft Immersive Reader — Built into Microsoft Edge, Word, and OneNote; reads any web page or document aloud at adjustable speed with simultaneous word highlighting. Free for anyone using Microsoft 365 or the Edge browser. No installation needed.
Read Aloud — Chrome Extension — Reads any web page or selected text using browser-native or cloud voices; straightforward and free for standard voices.
3. Voice Recognition Tools
Voice recognition — using speech to control software, produce text, or practice pronunciation — is one of the most underused tools in the EFL classroom. The technology has improved significantly; current accuracy on clear speech is very high. The main classroom applications are pronunciation practice (students can see immediately whether their speech is recognized correctly), dictation exercises, and accessibility support.
Google Docs Voice Typing — Built into Google Docs (Tools > Voice Typing); students speak and the text appears in real time. Excellent for pronunciation practice: if the speech recognition gets it right, the pronunciation was likely clear enough for a native speaker. Free with any Google account.
Gboard (Android) / Apple Dictation (iOS) — The microphone on any mobile keyboard enables voice-to-text in any app. Accurate, always available, and no setup required. Free on all current devices.
Google Translate (voice input) — Tap the microphone in Google Translate to speak and see both the transcription and the translation simultaneously; useful for pronunciation-translation work and checking comprehension. Free.
Otter.ai — Real-time transcription of spoken conversation; useful for transcribing recorded interviews, lectures, or student presentations for analysis. Free tier allows 300 minutes/month of transcription. Paid plans from $10/month.
OpenAI Whisper — Open-source speech recognition model with very high accuracy across accents and languages; available via API or run locally. The basis for many current transcription tools. Free to use via API; technical setup required.
Pronunciation practice exercise — Minimal Pairs, Practice Sentences and Paragraphs (Google Doc)
4. Audio Utilities
Media Players
VLC Media Player — Plays virtually every audio and video format without additional codecs; excellent speed control, subtitle support, and A-B loop function for repeating sections of audio. Free, open-source, available on all platforms.
PotPlayer — Windows-only alternative to VLC with a cleaner interface and strong codec support. Free.
Online Recording
Online Voice Recorder — Browser-based audio recording requiring no installation or account; records directly to MP3. Free.
Soundtrap — Online audio recording and podcast production platform; supports multitrack recording and collaboration. Good for student podcast projects. Free tier available; Education plan via institutional license.
Embed audio with Google Drive — Upload an MP3 to Google Drive, set sharing to “Anyone with the link,” then embed using:
<iframe frameborder="0" width="400" height="60" src="https://drive.google.com/file/d/YOUR_FILE_ID/preview"></iframe>
Audio Editing
Audacity — The standard free, open-source audio editor; handles multitrack recording, noise reduction, speed change, and format conversion. Steeper learning curve than simpler alternatives but the most capable free option. Available on Windows, Mac, and Linux.
Ocenaudio — Simpler, more modern alternative to Audacity for basic recording and editing tasks; better for trimming, noise removal, and format conversion without the complexity of a full multitrack editor. Free, cross-platform.
File Conversion
CloudConvert — Converts between virtually any audio, video, or document format online. Free tier with monthly limits; paid plans available.
Zamzar — Simple online file converter for audio and other formats; no installation required. Free tier available.
5. Audiobooks and Other Recordings
LibriVox — Volunteer-produced audiobooks of public domain texts in multiple languages; the largest free collection of human-read audiobooks available. Quality varies by reader but many recordings are excellent. Completely free.
Project Gutenberg Audio Collection — Human-read LibriVox recordings alongside nearly 5,000 AI-generated titles produced in partnership with Microsoft and MIT; browse alongside the text. Completely free.
Loyal Books — Curates LibriVox and Project Gutenberg recordings with a more browsable visual interface; easier to find something to listen to than searching the raw LibriVox catalog. Free.
Internet Archive — Audio — Largest free archive of audio content including audiobooks, old-time radio, music, and spoken word recordings; useful for authentic listening material. Free.
Open Culture — Free Audiobooks — Curated list of over 1,000 free audiobooks from LibriVox, Loyal Books, and other sources, organized by author and genre. Free.
Lit2Go — Free audiobooks and literary passages from the University of South Florida, each with MP3 download, reading time, word count, and Flesch-Kincaid readability score — useful for selecting level-appropriate texts. Free.
Storynory — Original and classic children’s stories read aloud in clear British English; good for lower-level learners and younger audiences. Free.
6. Podcasts for English Learners and Teachers
For English Learners
ESLPod — Dialogues and monologues on everyday American English topics spoken at slow speed with detailed explanations; one of the longest-running and most consistently useful ESL podcasts. Free episodes available; subscription for full library.
All Ears English — Conversational American English with two native speakers covering vocabulary, idioms, cultural topics, and IELTS preparation; intermediate to advanced. Free on all podcast platforms.
Spotlight English Podcast — Short programs on interesting topics in slow, clear English with transcripts; well suited to lower-intermediate learners who find standard podcasts too fast. Free.
Luke’s English Podcast — Long-form episodes from a British stand-up comedian and English teacher covering culture, humor, language, and life; best for upper-intermediate to advanced learners. Free.
English Learning for Curious Minds — Well-researched episodes on history, science, culture, and current events for intermediate to advanced learners who want content alongside language practice. Free episodes; premium membership available.
Business English Pod — Structured lessons on workplace communication, presentations, negotiations, and meetings; essential for students with professional English goals. Free episodes available; subscription for full library.
Podcasts in English — Wide variety of topics at multiple levels with accompanying exercises and transcripts; designed specifically for EFL learners. Free tier available.
For Teachers and CALL Practitioners
British Council Teaching English Podcast — Short interviews and discussions on methodology, technology, and classroom practice from the British Council’s professional development team. Free.
Grammar Girl — Short, well-researched episodes on grammar, usage, and language history; useful for teachers who want to stay sharp on the grammar questions students ask. Free.
Stuff You Should Know — Not EFL-specific, but a useful model of natural conversational English on interesting topics; good for authentic listening material in the classroom. Free.
AI-assisted, human-edited. Links verified May 2026. Report a broken link.