What Age Do Kids Start Saying Words? A Guide to Your Child's Speech Journey

Table of Contents

1. The Exciting Journey: What Age Do Kids Start Saying Words?
2. Building Blocks of Communication: Early Language Milestones (0-12 Months)
3. The “Word Spurt”: What to Expect from 12-24 Months
4. Beyond Words: Receptive vs. Expressive Language
5. Factors Influencing Speech Development
6. Empowering Your Child: Practical Strategies to Encourage Speech
7. Understanding Echolalia: A Stepping Stone to Speech
8. When to Seek Professional Guidance
9. Speech Blubs: Your Partner in Communication
10. Making the Smart Choice: Speech Blubs Pricing & Value
11. Conclusion
12. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

There are few moments in a parent’s life as heartwarming and eagerly anticipated as hearing their child’s first word. One day, it’s all adorable coos and joyful babbling; the next, a clear, intentional “Mama” or “Dada” rings out, opening the door to a whole new world of communication. It’s a milestone that brings immense pride and often sparks a flurry of questions: Is my child on track? When should I expect those first words? What if they’re not talking yet?

The journey of speech development is a unique adventure for every child, filled with fascinating twists and turns. While there are general timelines, it’s important to remember that each little one develops at their own pace, often focusing on different skills at different times. This comprehensive guide will explore the typical speech milestones children reach, delve into the various factors that influence language development, and provide practical strategies to support your child’s communication skills, offering peace of mind and actionable steps for every parent.

The Exciting Journey: What Age Do Kids Start Saying Words?

The short answer that most parents look for is that children typically start saying their first recognizable words between 12 and 18 months of age. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg of language development. Before these first words emerge, babies are incredibly busy laying the foundational groundwork, absorbing sounds, understanding gestures, and experimenting with their vocal cords in remarkable ways.

It’s less about a precise age and more about a progression of skills. Early verbal communication isn’t just about uttering clear words; it’s about a child’s intent to communicate and their growing ability to express themselves, whether through sounds, gestures, or eventually, spoken language.

Building Blocks of Communication: Early Language Milestones (0-12 Months)

Long before your child utters their first actual word, they are engaged in a complex dance of listening, observing, and experimenting with sounds. These early stages are crucial for developing the auditory processing and oral motor skills necessary for speech.

Birth to 3 Months: The First Sounds

From the moment they enter the world, babies are communicating. Initially, their primary mode is crying, but even then, cries can vary in tone and intensity, signaling different needs like hunger, discomfort, or tiredness.

• Cooing and Gurgling: Around 1 to 3 months, babies start making soft, vowel-like sounds such as “ooooh” or “aaaaah.” These coos are often a sign of contentment and are their first ventures into vocal experimentation.
• Smiling and Eye Contact: These early social cues are vital for communication. When you coo back, smile, or make eye contact, you’re establishing the back-and-forth rhythm of conversation that is fundamental to language.

4 to 6 Months: Babbling Begins

This is an exciting phase when vocal play becomes more dynamic. Your baby will start producing a wider range of sounds, experimenting with their tongue, lips, and palate.

• Vocal Play: You’ll hear giggling, squeals, and a variety of playful sounds.
• Reduplicated Babbling: Around 6 months, babies often start repeating consonant-vowel combinations, such as “ba-ba-ba,” “ma-ma-ma,” or “da-da-da.” While these aren’t yet meaningful words, they are crucial practice for forming sounds.
• Responding to Sounds: Your baby will turn their head towards sounds, respond to their name, and even show excitement or quiet down when you talk to them.

7 to 12 Months: Intentional Sounds and Gestures

As your child approaches their first birthday, their communication skills become much more intentional and sophisticated.

• Varied Babbling (Jargon): Babbling becomes more complex, incorporating different sounds, rhythms, and tones that can sound like real conversation, even if the words aren’t clear. This is often called the “jargon phase.”
• Understanding Simple Words: Your child will likely begin to understand words like “no,” “bye-bye,” and the names of familiar people and objects. They might respond to their name consistently and follow simple instructions when accompanied by gestures, such as “Come here.”
• Gestures Emerge: Babies at this age start using gestures like waving “bye-bye,” pointing to request items, or shaking their head for “no.” These gestures are powerful precursors to spoken words.
• First Words (Often “Mama” or “Dada”): For many children, their first true words will emerge around 10 to 12 months. These are often “Mama” or “Dada,” used specifically to refer to their parents, or simple approximations for familiar objects or actions. The key is that the word is used intentionally and consistently to mean the same thing.

The “Word Spurt”: What to Expect from 12-24 Months

This period is often marked by a dramatic increase in vocabulary and the exciting emergence of multi-word phrases.

12 to 18 Months: First Words Emerge

This is the golden window for those highly anticipated first words. While the exact timing varies, most children will have a few intentional words in their vocabulary during this stage.

• Expanding Vocabulary: Your child will likely acquire 1 to 3 true words by 12 months and continue to add words for familiar people, pets, toys, and common objects (e.g., “ball,” “milk,” “dog”). These words might not be perfectly clear yet, but you’ll understand their meaning through context and consistency.
• Following Simple Directions: They’ll understand and follow basic one-step commands like “Give me” or “Come here,” especially when you use gestures to help.
• Pointing to Body Parts: Many children around 15 months can point to a few body parts when asked.
• Imitation: Your child will attempt to imitate sounds and words you make, which is a critical learning tool.

For a parent whose 14-month-old is starting to make animal sounds but isn’t consistently using words, the “Animal Kingdom” section within Speech Blubs offers a fun, motivating way to practice sounds like “moo” and “baa” by watching and imitating their peers. This kind of “smart screen time” transforms passive viewing into an active learning experience, preparing them for more complex words. Download Speech Blubs on the App Store or Google Play to explore fun and interactive ways to boost your child’s vocabulary and speech clarity.

18 to 24 Months: Vocabulary Explosion and First Phrases

This period is often characterized by a “word spurt” where vocabulary acquisition dramatically accelerates.

• Vocabulary Growth: By 18 months, most children have at least 10 words, and by 24 months, this can expand significantly, often to 50 words or more. The rate of new word learning increases rapidly after a child reaches approximately 50 words.
• Two-Word Combinations: Around 20-24 months, children begin putting two words together to form simple phrases, often called “telegraphic speech.” Examples include “more milk,” “daddy go,” “my toy,” or “mama car?” This shows a growing understanding of grammar and syntax.
• Referring to Themselves by Name: By two years old, your child should start referring to themselves by their own name.
• Understanding Complex Sentences: They’ll begin to understand more complicated instructions and questions.
• Articulation Development: While words won’t be perfect, children start using more consonants like ‘p,’ ‘b,’ ‘m,’ ‘d,’ ‘n,’ and ‘t.’

For a child who is ready to move from single words to combining them, the themed sections in Speech Blubs that focus on actions and objects (like “Get Dressed” or “Food Time”) encourage them to practice two-word phrases such as “put on” or “want juice” by imitating the peer models. This not only builds their expressive vocabulary but also helps develop the motor planning for speech.

Beyond Words: Receptive vs. Expressive Language

When we talk about language development, it’s crucial to understand the two main components:

• Receptive Language: This refers to your child’s ability to understand language. It includes recognizing words, following directions, and comprehending what others are saying. Receptive language usually develops earlier and is often more advanced than expressive language.
• Expressive Language: This is your child’s ability to produce language, whether through sounds, gestures, or spoken words, to communicate their thoughts and needs.

Think of it this way: your child might understand many words before they can actually say them. This is a normal part of development. A strong foundation in receptive language is essential for expressive language to flourish.

Factors Influencing Speech Development

Every child’s path to language is unique, but several factors can influence how and when your child begins to speak. Understanding these can help you better support their journey.

Hearing and Auditory Processing

Speech begins with listening. If a child has difficulty hearing, they will struggle to perceive and process the sounds that make up words.

• Ear Infections: Frequent ear infections can cause temporary hearing loss, which, if prolonged, can impact a child’s ability to discriminate between sounds.
• Undiagnosed Hearing Loss: Even a mild or partial hearing loss can significantly affect language development. If your child isn’t responding consistently to sounds or their name, it’s essential to have their hearing checked by a professional.

Environmental Exposure and Interaction

The richness of a child’s language environment plays a huge role in their development.

• Conversational Turn-Taking: Back-and-forth interactions, even simple cooing, teach children the rhythm of conversation.
• Exposure to Rich Vocabulary: The more you talk, read, and sing to your child, the more words they hear and the more opportunities they have to absorb language in context.
• Active vs. Passive Screen Time: While passive screen time (like watching cartoons alone) can be detrimental, interactive and educational apps, especially when co-played with an adult, can be a powerful tool. At Speech Blubs, we are committed to providing an immediate, effective, and joyful solution for the 1 in 4 children who need speech support, blending scientific principles with play into one-of-a-kind “smart screen time” experiences. We provide a screen-free alternative to passive viewing and a powerful tool for family connection.

Individual Temperament and Pace

Children prioritize different developmental areas at different times.

• “Walkers vs. Talkers”: Some children might focus intensely on mastering gross motor skills like walking, leading to a temporary slowdown in verbal development. Once they’ve conquered walking, they might shift their focus to language.
• Observational Learners: Some toddlers are more observant, taking in a lot of language before they feel ready to produce it themselves. They might have a “silent period” where they seem to absorb everything before a sudden spurt of verbal expression.

Physical Development and Oral Motor Skills

Speaking involves intricate coordination of the tongue, lips, jaw, and breath.

• Muscle Coordination: The development of these oral motor skills affects a child’s ability to produce clear speech sounds. Issues with muscle tone or coordination can sometimes impact articulation.

Bilingualism: A Myth Debunked

A common misconception is that raising a child in a bilingual home causes speech delays. This is not true.

• No Delay in Overall Language Development: Research shows that bilingual children reach language milestones at the same age as monolingual children. Their vocabulary might be split between two languages, but their total conceptual vocabulary (words known across both languages) is typically comparable or even larger.
• Cognitive Benefits: Bilingualism offers numerous cognitive benefits, including enhanced problem-solving skills and improved cognitive flexibility. If your child speaks multiple languages, we count their words across all languages. For instance, knowing “water” in English and “agua” in Spanish means they have two distinct words in their vocabulary.

Empowering Your Child: Practical Strategies to Encourage Speech

You are your child’s most important language teacher. Simple, everyday interactions can powerfully boost their speech and language development.

Engage in “Parallel Talk” and “Self-Talk”

• Parallel Talk: Narrate what your child is doing. “You’re pushing the car! Vroom, vroom! The car is going fast.” This helps them connect actions with words.
• Self-Talk: Narrate what you are doing. “Mommy is cutting the apple. Crunch, crunch! The apple is red.” This exposes them to a wide range of vocabulary and sentence structures in context.

Read Aloud Daily

Reading isn’t just for bedtime. It’s a fantastic way to introduce new words and concepts.

• Point and Label: As you read, point to pictures and name them. Ask questions like, “Where’s the doggy?”
• Interactive Reading: Don’t just read the words. Talk about the story, make animal sounds, and let your child turn pages. Repetitive books are especially great for encouraging participation.

Sing Songs and Rhymes

Nursery rhymes and simple songs are language powerhouses.

• Rhythm and Repetition: Songs highlight the rhythm and intonation of language, making it easier for children to segment words and anticipate phrases.
• Action Songs: Songs like “Itsy Bitsy Spider” combine words with actions, helping children connect meaning to movement.

Provide Opportunities for Communication

Sometimes, a little nudge is all it takes to encourage your child to speak.

• “Communication Temptations”: Place desired items out of reach, offer choices (e.g., “Do you want apple or banana?”), or “forget” something your child needs to prompt them to ask.
• Wait Time: When you ask a question or expect a response, give your child a few extra seconds to formulate their answer. It’s tempting to fill the silence, but waiting empowers them to try.

Model Clear Speech

You are your child’s primary speech model.

• Expand on Their Words: If your child says “car,” you can respond with, “Yes, that’s a big red car.” This expands their vocabulary and shows them how to build longer phrases without directly correcting them.
• Use Proper Pronunciation: Speak clearly and at a moderate pace. There’s no need for “baby talk.”

Smart Screen Time: A Powerful Supplement

While face-to-face interaction is paramount, certain tools can provide valuable support for speech development. This is where Speech Blubs shines. Our unique “video modeling” methodology, where children learn by watching and imitating their peers, transforms screen time into an active, engaging learning experience.

For a child who is struggling with specific sounds or trying to expand their vocabulary beyond a few core words, Speech Blubs offers a structured yet playful environment. For example, if your child is fascinated by vehicles, the “Vehicle Sounds” section on Speech Blubs provides engaging videos of peers making “vroom” and “beep” sounds, transforming screen time into an active learning experience where imitation is encouraged. This method, backed by science and utilizing mirror neurons, makes learning communication skills joyful and effective. At Speech Blubs, our mission is to empower children to “speak their minds and hearts,” a mission born from the personal experiences of our founders, who created the tool they wished they had. We aim to provide an immediate, effective, and joyful solution for the 1 in 4 children who need speech support. Download Speech Blubs on the App Store or Google Play to explore fun and interactive ways to boost your child’s vocabulary and speech clarity.

Understanding Echolalia: A Stepping Stone to Speech

You might notice your child repeating words or phrases they’ve heard. This is known as echolalia and can be a normal part of language development, especially in children learning to speak.

• Immediate Echolalia: Repeating something immediately after hearing it. For example, if you say, “Do you want juice?” and your child replies, “Want juice?” before indicating yes or no.
• Delayed Echolalia: Repeating phrases from earlier in the day or from a favorite book or show. This might seem out of context but can be a child’s way of practicing and processing language.

Echolalia typically decreases as a child’s spontaneous language skills grow. If it persists significantly beyond age two or seems to replace meaningful communication, it’s worth discussing with a speech-language professional.

When to Seek Professional Guidance

While every child develops at their own pace, there are certain signs that might indicate a need for professional evaluation. Trust your parental instincts—if something feels off, it’s always best to get an expert opinion. Early intervention can make a significant difference.

Consult your pediatrician or a speech-language pathologist if you observe any of the following:

• By 12 months: No babbling, no use of gestures (like pointing or waving), or not responding to their name or familiar sounds.
• By 15 months: Not making sound combinations (e.g., “ba-ba,” “da-da”), not playing games like pat-a-cake or peek-a-boo, or not responding to their name consistently.
• By 18 months: No clear, intentional words, difficulty imitating sounds, or not showing interest in communicating through gestures or sounds.
• By 24 months (2 years): Fewer than 50 words in their vocabulary, not combining two words into phrases (e.g., “more milk”), or if their speech is difficult for even familiar family members to understand most of the time.
• Any age: A sudden loss of previously acquired speech or language skills.

Remember, seeking professional guidance doesn’t mean there’s a problem; it simply means you’re proactively supporting your child’s development. A speech-language pathologist can assess your child’s communication skills and offer tailored strategies and support. Unsure if your child could benefit? Take our quick 3-minute preliminary screener to get a simple assessment and a free 7-day trial. Take the Screener here. This tool aligns with our commitment to providing immediate, effective solutions and a clear next-steps plan.

Speech Blubs: Your Partner in Communication

At Speech Blubs, we believe every child deserves to find their voice and “speak their minds and hearts.” Our app was created by founders who themselves experienced speech challenges and wished for a tool like this during their own childhoods. We are dedicated to providing a scientifically-backed, joyful, and effective solution for the 1 in 4 children who may need speech support.

Our unique approach harnesses the power of video modeling, where children learn by observing and imitating their peers. This method naturally taps into “mirror neurons,” which are brain cells that fire both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing the same action. This makes learning speech sounds and words incredibly intuitive and engaging.

We’re proud of our high MARS scale rating, a testament to the scientific rigor and effectiveness of our app. Learn more about our research and methodology here. We’ve helped countless families foster a love for communication, build confidence, reduce frustration, and create joyful learning moments together. Don’t just take our word for it—see what other parents are saying about their child’s success with Speech Blubs.

Making the Smart Choice: Speech Blubs Pricing & Value

We believe in transparent and accessible pricing, designed to provide the best value for your family’s speech development journey.

You have two options for subscribing to Speech Blubs:

• Monthly Plan: $14.99 per month. This plan offers flexibility for short-term use.
• Yearly Plan: $59.99 per year. This plan is by far the most popular and offers exceptional value. It breaks down to just $4.99 per month, allowing you to save 66% compared to the monthly plan!

Choosing the Yearly Plan gives you more than just significant savings; it unlocks an entire suite of premium features designed to maximize your child’s progress:

• 7-Day Free Trial: Only the Yearly Plan includes a full 7-day free trial, allowing you to explore all of Speech Blubs’ features and see the magic of video modeling firsthand with your child before committing.
• Exclusive Reading Blubs App: Gain full access to our complementary Reading Blubs app, further enriching your child’s literacy and language journey.
• Early Access to New Updates: Be among the first to experience our latest content, features, and improvements.
• 24-Hour Support Response Time: Get priority access to our dedicated support team, ensuring your questions are answered quickly and efficiently.

The Monthly Plan, on the other hand, does not include the free trial, the Reading Blubs app, early access, or priority support.

For the most comprehensive support, the best value, and the full range of features, we highly recommend the Yearly Plan. Start your 7-day free trial and unlock the full suite of features by choosing our Yearly plan today!

Conclusion

The journey of speech and language development is one of the most exciting aspects of early childhood. While the question of “what age do kids start saying words” often brings a mix of anticipation and occasional worry, it’s clear that language blossoms through a rich interplay of listening, interaction, and playful exploration. Every coo, every babble, and every gesture is a significant step towards those first precious words and beyond.

Remember that while milestones offer a helpful guide, your child’s unique pace is perfectly normal. By engaging in consistent, loving interactions, reading together, singing songs, and providing rich language experiences, you are building a strong foundation for their communication skills. And if you ever feel a need for extra support or want to ensure your child is on the right track, resources like Speech Blubs and consultations with professionals are there to empower you and your child.

Embrace the journey, celebrate every sound, and know that you are providing the love and support your child needs to find their voice. Ready to support your child’s speech development in a fun, engaging, and effective way? Download Speech Blubs today and begin your 7-day free trial by selecting our Yearly plan to unlock all the premium features and embark on this wonderful adventure with us! Visit the Speech Blubs homepage to learn more and get started.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What’s the average number of words a child should say by 18 months and 2 years?

By 18 months, most children typically have a vocabulary of at least 10 words, though this can range up to 50 words. By two years old, many children have a vocabulary of 50 words or more and are beginning to combine two words into simple phrases (e.g., “more juice”). However, continuous growth in vocabulary is often more important than hitting an exact number.

Q2: Can bilingualism cause speech delays?

No, being raised in a bilingual environment does not cause speech delays. Research indicates that bilingual children reach language milestones at the same age as monolingual children. When assessing vocabulary, it’s important to count all the words a child knows across both languages. Bilingualism offers significant cognitive benefits and should be encouraged.

Q3: How can I tell if my child’s babbling is developing normally?

Normal babbling progresses from simple consonant-vowel repetitions (like “ba-ba”) around 4-6 months to more varied sounds and rhythms (jargon) by 7-12 months. If your child is not babbling by 12 months, or if their babbling doesn’t seem to be progressing, it’s a good idea to consult your pediatrician.

Q4: When should I be concerned if my child isn’t talking?

While there’s a wide range of normal, it’s advisable to consult a pediatrician or speech-language pathologist if your child: has no babbling by 12 months, doesn’t use gestures (like pointing or waving) by 12 months, has no clear words by 18 months, or has fewer than 50 words and isn’t combining two words by 24 months. Early intervention can be very beneficial.