With macOS Big Sur 11.3.1, to read any written text (in your browser, text editor program, pdf ..), you first need to enable it in *System Preferences > Accessibility*. In the left pane, select *Spoken Content*. And select *Speak selection*. 

[![Enable Speak selection in System Preferences][1]][1]

You can also choose the shortcut to activate this function: **click on *Options* and choose the Keyboard shortcut** you prefer.

[![Choose the shortcut and options of the Speak selection][2]][2]

Then, to use Speak selection, just select any text in a document (text, doc, in your browser, in a pdf … ) and use your shortcut. It should read your text out loud and display a pop up menu where you can pause, stop, control the speed …

  [1]: https://i.sstatic.net/GkAAm.png
  [2]: https://i.sstatic.net/cFZYU.png