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The Kindle 3 was the 3rd generation of Kindle produced by Amazon. It was sold as a WI-FI or 3G model with 4 GB of internal storage.

Text to Speech is not working.

The text to speech is no longer working. Kindle still powers to 100% but I only get a few slow..... words and then nothing. Love my text to speech! Can it be fixed?

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It's great that you're still using and enjoying your Kindle 3, also known as the Kindle Keyboard! The "few slow words then nothing" problem with Text-to-Speech is a well-known issue with older Kindle models and can be quite frustrating.

Here's a breakdown of the likely causes and what you can do about it:

The Most Likely Cause: Corrupted Voice Files

The text-to-speech feature relies on a set of voice files stored on the Kindle's internal memory. Over time, these files can become corrupted or fragmented, which causes the slow, stuttering, and then silent behavior you're describing. The "few slow words" are the Kindle trying to load and process the corrupted data before giving up.

Troubleshooting Steps to Try

Since the issue is likely a software problem rather than a hardware failure, you can try these steps to fix it.

  1. Restart or Reboot Your Kindle: This is the most common and effective solution for many Kindle issues.
    • Press and hold the power button for a full 15-20 seconds. The screen will flash, and the Kindle will reboot. It's a good idea to let it fully restart and re-index your books before trying TTS again.
    • If that doesn't work, you can also try a "hard reset" by holding the power button for a longer period (up to 40 seconds) until the screen flashes multiple times.
  2. Delete and Re-download the Book:
    • The problem might be specific to the book you're trying to read. A corrupted file for that particular book can cause TTS to fail.
    • Delete the book from your device.
    • Reconnect to Wi-Fi and re-download the book from your Amazon account.
  3. Check for System Updates:
    • Even though the Kindle 3 is a very old device, Amazon did release some final updates that might address this issue.
    • Connect your Kindle to a Wi-Fi network and check for updates by going to Menu > Settings > Menu (again) > Update Your Kindle. If it's not grayed out, there might be an update available. If it is grayed out, it means your Kindle is already running the latest software version.
  4. Factory Reset (Last Resort):
    • If none of the above steps work, you can try a factory reset. This will erase all your books and personal settings but can often fix stubborn software glitches.
    • Go to Menu > Settings > Menu (again) > Reset to Factory Defaults.
    • After the reset, you will need to re-register your Kindle and re-download all your books from the cloud.

Is It a Hardware Issue?

While it's possible for the speaker or headphone jack to fail, your description of "a few slow words" makes a software issue more likely. A purely hardware problem would usually result in no sound at all.

Is it Fixable?

Yes, in most cases, these issues can be fixed by the troubleshooting steps above. The fact that the Kindle is still powering on and reading text to some degree is a very good sign that the device's main components are still functional.

If you love the Text-to-Speech feature, it's definitely worth trying these steps before considering a new device.

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