Text-to-speech as in Microsoft Word

I found the MS Word Read Aloud function after having played around with Narrator a bit - I find Narrator a lot more finnicky. For example, if I’m having it read in one window but typing notes in another, it often switches focuses to read what is in the active window. Narrator is apparently designed for users with access issues (disabilities), not language learners and note takers, so that function doesn’t play so well with note taking.