Speaking the Contents of Cells

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 1, 2020)
This tip applies to Excel 2003

1

Do you like to hear freaky mechanical voices telling you what you just entered into a cell? If you are using Excel 2003, you're in luck. You can activate this precise feature by following these steps:

  1. Display the Text to Speech toolbar. (Choose View | Toolbars | Text to Speech, or choose Tools | Speech | Show Text to Speech Toolbar.)
  2. Click the right-most tool on the toolbar. (The Speak on Enter tool.)

At this point, assuming you have your speakers turned on and the volume turned up a bit, you'll hear a mechanical voice announce that the feature has been activated. Now, every time you enter a new value in a cell and then leave that cell, the voice tells you what you entered. If you enter a formula, then the voice announces the result of the formula.

To turn off the feature, again click the Speak on Enter tool. The voice announces that the feature is now off, and you can go on with your work in blissful silence.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2394) applies to Microsoft Excel 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Using an En Dash, by Default

In publishing, it is common practice to indicate a range of numbers by using an en dash between the first number and the ...

Discover More

Dynamic Data Based on Chart Changes

Change the data on which a chart is based and Excel obligingly updates the chart to reflect the change. What if you want ...

Discover More

Macros Run Slower in Newer Excel?

If you run a macro you used in an older version of Excel on a newer system, it may seem like the macro runs slower. Here ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Searching a Workbook by Default

When you display the Find tab of the Find and Replace dialog box, you'll notice that any search, by default, will be on ...

Discover More

Adding and Using a Combo Box

Combo boxes can be a great way of getting user input in a worksheet. Here's how to add a combo box to your worksheet and ...

Discover More

Undoing Smart Tag Exclusions

Depending on who you ask, Smart Tags can be really cool or really distracting. If you fall on the "cool" side, you may ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is seven more than 2?

2020-08-01 10:20:43

Sharon Bennett

I was able to turn the speech feature off by right clicking my speakers and click on mute for excel

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.