screen reader

American  

[skreen ree-der] / ˈskrin ˌri dər /

noun

Digital Technology.

1. a piece of software that renders visual data as synthesized speech or Braille.

   Your social media posts would be more accessible for blind people and others using screen readers if you’d just add alt text to your images.

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Etymology

Origin of screen reader

First recorded in 1935–40 in the sense “a device for reading microfilm or microfiche”

Example Sentences

Indeed, if you’re listening to this on a screen reader, you’re enjoying digital accessibility, which was built on the foundation of usability for those with disabilities.

From Slate • Apr. 4, 2026

The first three points could be solved with a screen reader, but for the free navigation a so-called navigation agent had to be implemented.

From Science Daily • Mar. 11, 2024

But because this information is not included in the alt text, anyone using a screen reader will not know what it says.

From BBC • May 19, 2023

He has a home setup where clients email him lines, which a screen reader says into his earpiece and which he then repeats into his microphone.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2022

They called it JAWS, which stands for Job Access With Speech, but is also a playful reference to another DOS screen reader called Flipper, like the dolphin in an eponymous 1960s TV show.

From The Verge • Jul. 14, 2022