VoiceOver on Mac stops talking, only sound effects are heard

Hi llcoolio,

welcome to the Apple (user-to-user) Community!

Re: "Voiceover not speaking: VoiceOver is not saying anything.

I can see the box on the bottom left of the screen but no actual words. I can hear the VoiceOver sound effects."

Am no expert in this area, yet your post to the community deserves some response.

Wondering if you have used VoiceOver ok before, and now it has stopped speaking for you,

Apple support's article: Have your Mac speak text that’s on the screen - Apple Support has some tips.

Eg: says: "By default, your Mac speaks text when you press the keyboard shortcut Option-Esc"

or,

whether you may be just beginning to learn how to use VoiceOver.

Eg: How to: Get started with VoiceOver on Mac - Apple Support

and

Learn and practice VoiceOver on Mac - Apple Support

"With VoiceOver, you can control your Mac with the keyboard, trackpad gestures or a refreshable braille display."

Apple support has a useful: VoiceOver User Guide for Mac - Apple Support online.

You can click on "Table of Contents" at the top of the page that opens from the above link, for all the topics.

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If needed: For expert help with this accessibility feature, you may want to contact Apple's Accessibility Team:

See: How to contact Apple for accessibility support - Apple Support

or

Apple's Accessibility Support Website (info / support / contact options)

(NB: You can "Get Support" from the link at the bottom of their website:)

Accessibility Support - Official Apple Support

All the best :-)