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

For the screen reader solution to facilitate menu operation, environmental perception and control on a grid, it was first necessary to capture all visible and usable objects and characters on the screen.

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

The data model behind the concept of the screen reader had to be completely reimagined.

From The Verge • Jul. 14, 2022