Show HN: Free audiobooks with synchronized text for language learning

Re:Show HN: Free audiobooks with synchronized text for langu... by BloodAndCode on Thursday March 12, 2026 @08:16AM (#47349536)

really nice idea. i like the “read along” concept a lot — being able to replay the same word or sentence multiple times is super helpful when learning a language.

am i right that the narration is generated with AI? sometimes there might be small pronunciation quirks, but overall the quality already sounds pretty good from what i tried.

one thing that would make this even more useful for learning (at least for me) is word-level explanations. for example clicking a word and seeing a simple definition in the same language (like german → german explanations in learner dictionaries), not just translation. that really helps build intuition.

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Re:Show HN: Free audiobooks with synchronized text for langu... by floo on Thursday March 12, 2026 @09:03AM (#47350001)

thanks! none of the audio is AI generated, it's all human narration, mostly sourced from librivox. (credits show when clicking the info icon)

the idea of learning languages from AI didn't quite sit right with me. but that might be something to circle back to.

integrating learner dictionaries does sound like a fantastic idea. will definitely explore that!

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Re:Show HN: Free audiobooks with synchronized text for langu... by BloodAndCode on Thursday March 12, 2026 @12:15PM (#47353101)

ah that actually makes a lot of sense. human narration is probably better for learners anyway — pronunciation and rhythm matter a lot when you're trying to internalize a language. and good to hear the dictionary idea resonates. even simple definitions or example sentences can make a big difference when reading along.

really nice project overall.

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