Child say first word

From coos to growls to sing-songy combinations of vowels and consonants, your baby’s vocalizing and verbal experimentation may sound just as adorable as it is nonsensical. But listen closely and one day you’ll hear it: the first real word.

By 9 months, your baby will probably start stringing together «ma-ma» and «da-da» sounds without necessarily knowing what they mean. But when those sounds start to transform into words with meaning, it’s a milestone that feels like magic.

When do babies start talking?

Babies start talking — that is, attempt to express themselves in words with meaning — anywhere between 9 and 14 months. But babies start learning how to speak right after they’re born, mainly by watching and listening to you and other people.

Here’s a timeline of how baby’s speech will typically progress:

By the end of month 4

From birth, babies listen to the words and sounds all around them and begin to sort out their meanings, the first step in language acquisition. 

At 4 months, your baby will likely babble or even copy some of the babbling sounds he’s heard you make. His cries may also sound different, depending on whether he’s hungry, tired or in pain.

By the end of month 6

By about 6 months, your baby is picking up on the idea that the jumble of sounds he’s hearing every day include individual words. He may even understand a few of them, such as his name, and the names of other people and familiar objects. He may also make some sounds himself, and may string together a few vowels when he babbles, such as «ah,» «eh» and «oh.» Consonants like «m» and «b» may also appear too.

By the end of month 9

Your baby is starting to experiment with making sounds of his own — including some impressively long ones, like «ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma» and «ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba.»

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He may also start to mimic other people’s sounds and gestures, and understand what «no» means (whether he’ll listen is another thing altogether). All of this brings him closer, day by day, to saying his first word.

By the end of month 12

By the time your child is 1 year old, he can likely say at least one word like, «mama,» «dada” or «uh-oh.» He may also try to say the words he hears you say, as well as change the tone of his words — all of which is starting to sound something like real speech! 

When do babies say their first word?

Babies often say their first word around the age of 1, but it can vary from child to child. 

Some perfectly normal babies don’t say a recognizable word until 18 months, whereas some babies begin to communicate in word-sounds (like «ba-ba» for bye-bye, bottle or ball and «da-da» for dog, dad or doll) as early as 7 months.

«Da-da» seems to be slightly easier for babies to say than «ma-ma,» so don’t be surprised if it’s your baby’s first «real» word. Other popular first words include «uh-oh,» «bye-bye» and, around 18 months of age, «no.»

How to teach baby to talk

The best way to help your baby say his first words is to talk to him —  a lot! Your baby will be eager to pick up on your verbal cues. 

Narrate your day, describing what you’re doing as you dress your baby, cook dinner or walk down the street. Speak the names of objects and people. Read to your baby, pointing out objects and their names in the pictures he sees.

Ask questions, hold one-sided conversations — and listen if he answers. When he does vocalize, be sure to smile, make eye contact and show him that you’re listening. He’ll be encouraged by your attention — and excited to try again.

More ways to encourage a baby to talk:

• Speak slowly and clearly, and focus on single words. There’s no need to resort to caveman-speak all the time around your baby, but slowing the pace as you flip through a picture book, or explaining in clear, simple language what you’re doing as you put the book back on the shelf, helps your child understand and focus on individual words. 
• Use names rather than pronouns. Whenever possible, name the people you’re talking about rather than using the shorthand of a pronoun: «This is Mommy’s coffee» or «Here is Sarah’s bear» are both clearer and easier for babies to understand than «This is my coffee» or «Here is your bear.»
• Sing songs and rhyme rhymes. Your baby will learn valuable language skills from the simple rhythms and silly repetitions of nursery rhymes and songs.
• Repetition is your friend. Repetition is your friend. (Get it?) Saying things not once but twice, singing the same songs over and over, pointing out the same flower pot every time you pass it on the street … all that repetition, boring as it may seem to you, is incredibly interesting to your little one, since it helps reinforce your child’s growing understanding of how a particular sound attaches to a particular thing — in other words, what individual words really mean.

What not to worry about

When it comes to speech, the window of what’s considered «normal» is wide open. Your child may start to use sound-words like «mi» for «milk» or «dat» for «that» (as in, «I want that!») as early as 7 months. Or your child might not start to say words or word-sounds until as late as 18 months. 

Believe it or not, it’s just as appropriate to hear a child’s first words at either end of that age range — or at any age in between. Every child develops at his own pace. 

When to talk to your doctor

If you notice any of the following signs in your baby, it’s a good idea to check in with your pediatrician:

• Not babbling at 4 to 7 months
• Only making a few sounds or gestures by 12 months
• Not saying simple words like «ma-ma» or «da-da» by 12 to 15 months
• Not understanding simple words like «no» or «stop» by 18 months. 

These can sometimes signal something’s up. Here’s what your pediatrician will look for:

• Hearing loss or hearing difficulties, which can occur at birth or develop in infancy or toddlerhood. If there’s a family history of hearing loss, tell your pediatrician. Hearing problems can make it difficult for children to learn how to speak. Your pediatrician may be able to treat mild hearing loss that results from, for example, fluid that has accumulated in the inner ear, or can refer you to an ENT (ear, nose and throat specialist).
• Language delays, which affect about 1 out of 5 children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Sometimes, this delay is only minor, and may resolve itself with a little extra attention from a parent or caregiver. In other cases, children may benefit from working with a speech and language therapist.
• Autism, a spectrum disorder (also called autism spectrum disorder, or ASD), can result in social or language delays. Let your pediatrician know if your child doesn’t respond to his name by 9 months or if he doesn’t make eye contact when you speak to him.

In general, the earlier a speech delay is detected, the sooner you’ll be able to address it. 

What’s next for baby

Long before he speaks his first words, your baby will learn to understand words, but understanding concepts and directions takes a little longer. 

Sometime around the first birthday, most toddlers can begin following simple commands «like give me that» or «put that down,» but only if they’re issued one step at a time. Your toddler’s vocabulary will likely begin to explode around month 18, and he may string a few words together by age 2.

Every baby develops at his own pace, but if you have any concerns about your child’s development, don’t hesitate to check in with your pediatrician sooner rather than later.

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Think about it – right from the beginning, your baby learns to communicate. The first form of communication in any baby is crying. Every time your baby cries and you rush to tend to her, you are laying down the foundation for communication. The next way babies start to communicate is through sounds like cooing, growling and babbling. Once your baby starts to practice her consonants, it is only a matter of time before your baby starts trying to imitate the sounds you make while speaking.

At What Age Babies Speak Their First Word?

When do babies say their first word? The average age at which kids utter their first real word is around the one year mark. By the age of two, babies can generally form two word sentences such as “doggy nice” (The dog is nice) or “got boo-boo” (I got hurt). Most children are able to form more advanced, though not perfect sentences once they are three. For example, your child may say “I drinked all my juice” instead of “I drank all my juice” as they are not yet able to understand tenses.

Baby-Speaking Milestones

The first two years of your baby’s life are the most important for speech. Before using any words themselves, babies learn to communicate by watching how the adults around them do it. Your child will first begin by exploring the tongue, lips, palate and any grown teeth and making sounds with them. As your baby develops, she will be able to learn to use words to describe things in her life and what she wants.

Some of the most common first words of babies are “Dada”, “Mama” and “Bye-Bye.” At the age of 12 months, words like “ball” and “dog” go on the baby first words list. Some of the important milestones to look out for when it comes to your child’s speech development are as follows:

1. Baby’s First Words at the 3^rd Month:

Everything is new to babies of this age, and they spend a lot of time observing your facial expressions and listening to the sound of your voice. They are also curious about any other sounds that they can hear around the house. Babies prefer the sound of a female voice over a male one and are more partial to the voices they heard while in the womb. By the end of three months, babies learn to coo.

1. Baby’s Words at the 6^th Month:

This is the age at which babies learn to babble. They begin with simple things like “da da”, and they are able to recognise their own names. They can also distinguish their mother tongue from other languages. They learn to communicate if they are happy or sad through tone of voice. They do not understand the meanings of any words yet.

1. Baby’s Words at the 9^th Month:

Now babies are beginning to understand the meaning of some very simple words such as “yes” and “bye” and will start to practice their consonant sounds.

1. Baby’s Words at the 12^th Month:

Your baby now understands the meaning behind the words that she hears all the time. This is the age at which most babies utter their first real word.

1. Baby’s Words at the 18^th Month:

Your baby’s vocabulary expands at this age, and she will be able to point out objects to you if you name them for her. Many babies have fun learning the names of their body parts by pointing to the one they think you are asking for and try to imitate what you are saying.

1. Baby’s Words at 2 Years:

Babies are finally starting to understand that words are not only meant to refer to objects but also to other things like possession and they can even put together two-word sentences like “ball mine!” to communicate.

How To Make Your Baby Talk

Keep talking to your baby. Make sure to focus on pronouncing each individual word carefully when speaking to your child and tell her what you are doing as you do it. Here are some ways of helping your baby learn to talk:

1. Be Observant:

Young babies often communicate through actions, and you should pay attention to their every attempt. Your baby may hold up her arms to you to let you know she wants to be carried, or she could push her food away to let you know she is full. When these things happen, smile and make eye contact so that she will feel encouraged to communicate more.

2. Listen Carefully:

When your baby coos at you, coo back at her. This will help her learn to vary pitch and tone as she will imitate the way you make the sounds. When your child is speaking to you, look at her and be responsive so that she feels more comfortable talking to you.

3. Lots of Praise:

Babies often do not make any sense as they experiment with and learn different sounds. Praise your child for every attempt, whether it makes sense to you or not.

4. The Art of Imitation:

If your baby happens to glance at the cat and say “cah” you should do the same, except, use the correct word, “cat.” It will help her learn the correct way to say things and also confirms for her that yes; that is a “cah,” making her more confident in her associations.

5. Small Talk:

At mealtime, if your baby points to her bowl and makes a noise, don’t just give her more food. Converse with her first, “Would you like more pasta? It tastes lovely with cheese, doesn’t it?”

6. Narration:

Tell your baby everything you are doing to help her connect certain words with activities. “Let’s put on this green hat!” or “Mommy is cutting carrots for Cara.”

7. Don’t Give Up:

If you don’t understand what your baby is saying, clarify it with her, “Ball? Do you want the ball?”
Even if you still don’t understand what she is trying to say, don’t lose heart. Show your baby a lot of love. She will still feel rewarded for trying.

8. Follow the Leader:

Let your baby set the pace during playtime and follow your child’s interests. Let her pick the topic of conversation in her own way. This will teach her that that communication is a two-way street where there is talking, listening, following and leading.

9. Playacting:

Children should be encouraged to play and pretend, using creative imaginary scenes as these activities can help them develop their verbal skills as they become toddlers.

10. Read Out Loud:

Young children enjoy things that are pleasant and if you make reading sessions fun and relaxing, your child will not only develop her verbal skills, learn how to form sentences and how stories flow from listening to and imitating you, but could also develop a love for reading as she grows.

How to Deal With Speech Delay

At around two years is when the average child learns to speak. If your child is still not speaking, it is best to consult a doctor. If the problem is diagnosed early, the chances of your child getting back on track is higher. Here are some ways to help with delayed speech:

1. Hearing Test:

Hearing loss is a major cause of delayed speech development. Three out of 1000 babies have it, Make sure to get your baby fully checked for this problem.

2. Consult a Professional:

An SLP (Speech-Language Pathologist) will be able to diagnose and treat whatever is causing your child to have delayed speech development. Treatments could involve giving you tips and games to improve her speech skills.

3. Developmental Screening:

Development or behavioural disabilities such as autism or cognitive disabilities can cause speech delays, and it is in your child’s best interest to have these diagnosed and properly treated if she is found to have any.

Like every other milestone in your child’s life, she will hit all her speech ones when she is ready. Parents really need not worry about their children developing their verbal skills at exactly the ages given above, as those are the average ages at which things should fall into place.

Also Read: What is Baby Babble?

A common question among first time parents: When do babies start talking? Believe it or not, baby’s journey to two-way communication begins earlier than you might think. Here’s further proof that babies are pretty incredible: They start learning language even before birth! That’s because baby could hear you speaking while in the womb and got familiar with the rhythm and sounds of the language you spoke. In fact, studies show that babies whose moms read specific books to them while pregnant go on to prefer hearing those books once they’re born, as measured by an increase in their sucking motion.

But exactly when do babies start talking—or saying actual words? The baby-talking milestone is a particularly exciting one. Few things are as special as watching baby start to babble, form words and eventually string those words together into sentences. Of course, every baby’s speech path is different, but there are some common signals and stages to look for during their language development. What’s more, there are ways to encourage baby to start creating associations and forming words.

Ready to get the language low-down? When do babies start babbling? At what age do babies start talking? And what words might you hear first? Follow along to find out what you can expect and what to do if baby isn’t hitting certain milestones.

Before learning to talk, babies begin babbling. It might sound like gibberish, but this is the foundation of verbal communication. Yes, it’s baby’s first attempt at speaking a language. Babbling is like baby’s training wheels, as it gets them ready for the real deal. “It’s all practice, because those babbles form the basis of their first words,” according to Marianella Casasola, PhD, who researches babies in her Infant Studies Laboratory at Cornell University. Babbling often includes sighing and cooing sounds, which eventually develop into consonant sounds.

For example, baby might start making the “m” sound. With plenty of practice, that sound may turn into “ma,” and before you know it: “ma-ma.” So when do babies start babbling? Many babies will be babbling by the six-month mark, and begin using multiple syllables around 9 months old. Here’s a closer look:

By 6 months

As mentioned above, most babies are babbling regularly by 6 months, making short strings of consonant-vowel sounds such as ba-ba, ma-ma and da-da. “Babies exposed to two languages will even babble in ways that are consistent with both languages,” says Casasola.

At this stage, baby is rapidly acquiring receptive language, meaning language that they can understand, even though they can’t yet speak it. Experimental studies show that babies can associate “mama” with their caregiver, as early as 6 months.

By 9 months

By about this age, babies can begin to string sounds together to form multiple syllables, such as “ba-da-ma.” Babies can understand a lot more language than they can produce at this stage—largely because infants don’t have the motor skills to form words with their mouths yet, Casasola explains, and because it takes more cognitive skill to be able to pull a specific word from their memory than it does to just understand it.

Apart from babbling around 6 months of age, when babies start to play with language sounds, babies won’t say their official first words for a year or so. (Of course, they have their own ways of communicating with you from birth—by crying, gurgling, sighing, cooing and, starting around 2 months, smiling.)

So when do babies say their first word? Well, there isn’t an exact answer. “There is a range when babies say their first words,” says Jocelyn Wood, CCC-SLP, a speech language pathologist. “In general, babies will say their first words between 9 and 12 months of age.” And when should a baby start talking more regularly? While that can also vary from baby to baby, it’s helpful to have an idea of what to expect. Below, you’ll find a general timeline for when babies say their first word, when babies start talking in full sentences and when babies talk clearly.

By 12 months

Get ready for your heart to melt to the sounds of “mama” and “dada.” Babies say their first word around 12 months and will talk more clearly at about 18 months. “First words are going to be the things that are most common in your child’s world,” Wood says, “such as food items (banana, apple, milk), toys (ball, baby, car), important people (Mama, Dada, a pet or sibling name) or words from familiar routines (more, mine or all done).”

By 24 months

“Eighteen- to 24-month-old toddlers go through a period of rapid growth, when they are learning new word(s) every day,” Wood says. At this point your budding linguist may have a vocabulary of 50 to 100 words. “The 100 word milestone is important because this is when toddlers really start combining words to make simple phrases,” she explains. These sentences start as two- or three-word sentences (e.g., “my toy!”) and slowly but surely become more complex.“ Although there may be some slight variability, by 24 months you should be starting to lose track of the number of words they have and be focusing more on different combinations of words,” Wood says.

By 36 months

By 36 months, your toddler is likely to have a vocabulary of 200 words or more, though you probably won’t be counting anymore. Many kids this age can string together sentences of three or four words. You’ll also notice that your toddler speaks more clearly now; you should be able to understand at least 75 percent of what your little one says, which can also help reduce the number of tantrums (hurray!).

They’ll also be able to understand a lot of what you’re saying, so expect to get reactions from your little listener. You’ll notice your child may start to use language to solve problems and explain concepts around this age. Last but not least, get ready for storytime—your toddler will likely be telling you a few good tales pretty soon.

“Babies are hardwired to learn language” in order to get what they need and connect with you, Casasola says. “The key is to interact and have fun, because every interaction is an opportunity to teach them language.” The more baby gets familiar with the sounds and words in the language, the more inclined they’ll be to start trying them out for themselves. Try these tips to get the conversation started and help teach baby to talk.

Tip #1: Talk, talk and talk some more

“Studies show that how much you talk to your child is directly related to the number of words they learn, so simply chatting with them does wonders,” Casasola says. Naming things helps baby connect a word to an object, especially if they’re the one to show interest in it. So if baby points to a ball, for example, say its name out loud.

Visual cues help too, so point to the ball or hold it up for baby to see as you say its name. “Babies learn in realistic environments, so it will mean much more for a child to learn ‘more milk’ when they are sitting in their chair reaching for milk, rather than having a parent say they are pouring milk when the milk is out of sight,” Wood adds.

Tip #2: Use names instead of pronouns

To help baby start talking, use a specific name when referring to a person, such as “Daddy,” instead of saying “he.” The more a baby hears a concrete name, the easier it’ll be for them to associate that name with a face.

Tip #3: Enunciate your words

Baby doesn’t automatically know how to make a “gra” sound using the back of their mouth and tongue. These speech skills must be learned. You can teach baby to talk by speaking slowly and articulating the various sounds that make up specific words, such as “Ggrraanndd-mmaaa” for “Grandma.”

Tip #4: Sing songs and read rhymes

There’s a reason that reading books and singing songs to babies is an age-old practice. “Music and language have always been very interconnected,” says Susan Darrow, a child development expert and CEO of Music Together. “Mothers instinctively know to speak to babies in higher, sing-songy voices, and research confirms that this higher-pitched, rhythmic, slower speech facilitates language comprehension in infants.” Just listening to music isn’t as effective as making your own though, so go ahead and sing your heart out. And no worries if you don’t have a voice like Adele—baby will be happy to hear you sing no matter how it sounds because it’s coming from you.

Tip #5: Repeat words

Baby’s babbling may signal that they’re focused and ready to learn, so offer specific words in response to their babbles and repeat them a few times. For example, if baby says “baba” while pointing to a banana, touch the banana and say the word a few times to help it start to stick. “It has to do with what child development experts call ‘serve and return,’” Darrow says. “A baby ‘serves’ a sound by making it, and you ‘return’ it by making the sound back to enable them to learn. It’s also a nice bonding experience.”

Tip #6: Give baby time to respond

“Talking is so new to babies, and they need time to process what you are saying and think about how they should move their mouth to get the right response,” Wood explains. When you talk to baby, she recommends building in pauses to see if your little one has a verbal (sounds or words) or non-verbal response (eye movement or gesture) to offer up.

Tip #7: Turn off the TV

Even educational programs can’t replace simply talking to baby when it comes to learning language. One study shows that 10-month-olds were able to understand some sounds of Mandarin Chinese when exposed to live speakers, but not when watching videos. “It makes sense that kids don’t learn from TV,” Casasola says. “Communicating is rewarding for kids because they’re connecting with you, and they can’t get that from screen time.”

Tip 8: Encourage imitation

Narrate what you’re doing—and be sure to use specific words—when you’re with baby to help them learn to label their world. You might say, “Mommy is scrambling eggs with a spoon for Brianna’s breakfast. Can you say ‘egg?’” Look her in the eye and say “egg” a few times to see if she tries to mimic you. You can also use words to describe baby’s actions as well. (Think: “Brianna is putting the bottle in her mouth.”)

Keep in mind that there’s a wide range of normal when it comes to babies developing language skills. Sometimes, although you may be concerned that baby isn’t yet talking, all the language-learning they’ve been doing suddenly clicks, and they’ll start talking nonstop, seemingly out of nowhere. Be patient, as babies learn to speak at their own pace.

In fact, baby boys tend to develop language skills slower than girls. According to Wood, male brains function more unilaterally, with each side of the brain working separately, while female brains are more bilateral, with both sides of the brain working together. “Because of these differences, girls are usually more attuned to caregivers and can pick up on various tones and social cues, while boys may be a little slower,” she says. “These are the differences that cause parents to use different conversational styles with boys and girls, which may account for the differences in development.” In terms of language skills, boys may be three to four months behind their female peers, but they catch up completely by age 3.

When to seek help

What defines a “late talker?” It’s important to know that every baby is on their own unique timeline. The truth is that the questions, “when do babies say their first word?” and “when do babies start talking?” don’t have concrete answers. Try not to worry if your little one isn’t chatting away just yet—some babies are simply late talkers. However, if baby’s first word hasn’t been said by 15 months, or if by age 2, baby has less than 25 words, speak to your doctor. “It’s important that parents be aware of the signs of a speech delay so that they can receive support as early as possible,” Wood says. “Early intervention is crucial in helping children catch up to their peers.” She emphasizes that 8 percent of children in the US have communication disorders.

According to Wood, it may be time to turn to a professional if your child:

“The sooner you recognize any potential problems, the sooner you can get help that could enable your child to catch up developmentally,” Casasola says. “Trust your gut as a parent if you think something might be abnormal. It’s okay to be assertive or ask for a second opinion.”

If baby isn’t reaching their speech milestones, here are some other tests you might want to ask about:

• Hearing tests. If your child has trouble hearing, there’s a good chance they’ll also have speech delays. Babies are screened for hearing impairment soon after birth but some things, such as recurring ear infections, can affect hearing and lead to language delays.

• Speech evaluation. Speech-language pathologists are specialists who help with communication issues of all kinds, from stuttering and lisps to language comprehension. The type of testing and therapy baby may need will depend on their particular challenges. For example, sometimes children can hear and understand speech but they’re just not able to articulate the sounds themselves and need some help learning how.

• Developmental screenings. These screenings are typically done at well-child visits and are a way for your doctor to tell if baby is hitting typical milestones for their age or if they might be delayed. For example, if your one-year-old isn’t making eye contact or doesn’t seem motivated to communicate, it could be a sign of a delay.

“Don’t worry about stigmatization,” Casasola says. “Testing can help give kids the skills they need to overcome their challenges and adapt their learning and environment in a way that’s best suited for them.”

Remember that every child is unique and develops on their own timeline. “There can be huge differences in how language progresses from one child to another,” Casasola says. But if you’re ever concerned about baby’s progress, don’t hesitate to contact your pediatrician.

You’re eager to chit-chat with your child. And they’re excited by their budding vocabulary. When baby does start talking, it’ll be a whole new world. In the meantime, enjoy the early babbling and curious coos. And if you’re still wondering when you’ll hear that awesome first word come out of baby’s mouth, remember that there are simple ways to foster language development: Read to baby, sing to baby and keep on talking. And if your little one isn’t hitting the expected milestones, reach out to your pediatrician—early intervention can help.

About the experts:

Marianella Casasola, PhD, is an associate professor in the department of human development at Cornell University. She earned her PhD in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Her expertise is in infant cognitive development and early word learning with a particular interest in the interaction between thought and language during the first years of development.

Jocelyn M. Wood, MA, CCC-SLP, is a bilingual speech language pathologist with over a decade of experience. She specializes in working with parents who are seeking advice on how to introduce speech and language activities into everyday routines.

Susan Darrow is a child development expert and CEO of Music Together, a music program for babies and parents that has classes in more than 40 countries.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.

Plus, more from The Bump:

As a speech pathologist, I’m probably a bit biased. But watching a typical child’s language and speech sound systems blossom is – truly – a wonder to behold.

When magic happens: first words

Language and speech sounds are not the same thing. Babies and toddlers can babble meaninglessly. They can also communicate specific messages in detail without speech, e.g. with gestures. But speech and language come together when kids begin to connect their speech sounds with words they want to say.

For most parents and other carers, this is a pretty special time. I still remember the golden moment when my first child said “dadda” (/daedə/) – and seemed to mean me!

Apart from the memories, first (and later) words matter because vocabulary size is a good indicator of overall language development. Larger vocabulary sizes also correlate with greater phonological (speech sound) skills. Early symptoms of developmental language disorders, include late talking (Hagan et al., 2008). In particular, a lack of word combinations at 24 months is a significant predictor of language impairment (Rudolph & Leonard, 2016).

So how do language and speech come together to produce first words?

Words

Most young children say their first word between the ages of 12 and 18 months. About 6 months after a child says her first word, she can usually say around 50 words; and by 4 years of age, she can typically say around 2,500-3000 words (Fenson et al., 2007; Stoel-Gammon, 2011). These are of course averages: there is huge individual variation in vocabulary sizes for 1 year olds and toddlers (Fenson et al., 2000).

Speech sounds

Kids practice making speech sounds with babble. By 12 months of age, many English-speaking kids can say the following sounds at the start of babbled syllables and/or words:

Most utterances at this age (words and non-words) are only one syllable long or repeated syllables (Bauman-Waengler, 2000); and many toddlers leave the last consonant off words ending in consonants (“final consonant deletion”) (Davis et al., 2017). Mistakes are common: only about 70% of a typically developing 2-year-olds’ consonants are correct (Stoel-Gannon, 1987).

Fast forward a bit. By 4 years of age, most typically developing English-speaking kids are generally intelligible to unfamiliar adults, and can say:

As with language, there is a high degree of variation in the number of speech sounds spoken by individuals, as well as the order in which speech sounds are acquired (see here for more detail).

So how do babies and toddlers choose their first words?

We don’t know!

There are scores of theories, many with cartoonishly-long academic names. But, broadly, most theories describe one of two main ideas:

Having read some of the research going back to the ground-breaking work of Leonard in the early 1980s, I favour the speech sound dominance theory. Clinically, it helps me to explain to parents why:

But, as with many things speech science-related, it pays to keep an open mind.

New research

On first reading, a small, recent US study of six children (aged 8 months to 2 years, 11 months) appears to lend further support to the speech sound dominance theory. But, on a closer reading, it suggests that the answer is not clear cut. (See citation below.)

Professor Barbara Davis and colleagues of the University of Texas at Austin found that, overall, the kids favoured words that started with a sound they could say. For kids with small vocabularies, there was some evidence for the word dominance theory in sounds at the ends of words. However, this finding was complicated by the tendency of young children to leave out final consonants: together, the kids in the study left out 63% of the final consonants in target words ending with a consonant!

Clinical bottom line

I’m not changing my mind for now: I still favour the speech sound dominance theory from a clinical perspective. But, having read Davis’ research, I now appreciate that the interaction between language and speech sounds is complex and may go both ways when it comes to first words. As the researchers note, there is plenty of exciting research still to do on this important topic!

Related articles:

• Late talkers: how I choose which words to work on first
• Why I tell parents to point at things to help late talkers to speak
• FAQ: What’s the difference between speech and language?
• “He was such a good baby. Never made a sound!” Late babbling as a red flag for potential speech-language delays
• Important update: In what order and at what age should my child learn to say his/her consonants?
• FAQ: 10 common speech error patterns seen in children of 3-5 years of age – and when you should be concerned

Principal source:

Davis, B., van der Feest, S., & Yi, H. (2017). Speech sound characteristics of early words: influence of phonological functions across vocabulary development. Journal of Child Language, 2017. Published online: 4 December 2017.

Image: https://tinyurl.com/ydg2sooc

The first word that the child says is forever remembered to parents. Photo: Getty

The kid wants to communicate with the world from the very beginning.birth. His first attempts to do this are onomatopoeia. He looks at the adults around him and repeats the movements with his lips, his tongue, and the change in facial expressions. Up to six months, children can only cry and pronounce random sets of sounds. It turns out a sweet agu comment, which caring parents sometimes compare with speech. After six months, the sound stock of crumbs expands. He manages to reproduce what he hears around, and give out the semblance of words: «ba-ba,» «ha-ha,» etc. This can not be regarded as speech: the sounds are pronounced unconsciously, the kid only learns to use the articulatory apparatus. Conscious speech is possible at the end of the first year of life. Girls begin to talk about 10months, boys «mature» later, by 11-12 months. The first word a child pronounces is usually «mother», because that is what he sees most often, through her he gets to know the surrounding world, most of his emotions are associated with her . After the first conscious word comes the period of «calm». The crumb does not speak much and accumulates a passive lexical stock. By the age of 1,5 the baby starts to build simple sentences. By this age, his dictionary has more than 50 positions, which the child can use quite consciously.

How to help your child speak the first words faster?

To the verbal skills of crumbs developed at a rapid pace, you need to deal with it from birth. Experts advise to observe the following rules:

• Do not «lisp» and communicate with the baby in good Russian;
• repeat the names of the objects several times in different situations;
• read fairy tales and poems;
• play with the baby.

In the inability to speak, the undeveloped muscles of the lips and mouth are often to blame. To correct this deficiency, offer the child to do simple exercises:

• blow;
• whistle;
• keep the upper lip like a mustache;
• imitate the sounds produced by animals.

It is noted that the age when the firstwords of the child, depends on the characteristics of his family. Children of «talkative» parents begin to communicate before those who were born with «silent». Kids, who regularly read books, already in 1,5-2 years are able not only to formulate proposals, but also to recite a small poem by heart.

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