When Do Babies Start Talking? Speech and Language Milestones From First Words to Sentences

Most babies coo by 4 months, babble sounds like “bah” and “dah” between about 4 and 9 months, say a first word around their first birthday, and put two words together by about 2. Those ages come from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC.

Every talking milestone has two ages: the age it usually happens, and the later age by which most children (75% or more) have done it. The CDC’s milestone checklists use the second age, which makes it a line for talking to your doctor, not an average. The most useful thing a parent can do at any age is talk with their baby in turns: answer their sounds, then pause and wait for a reply. This page covers the milestones month by month, how many words to expect at 18 months, 2 and 3, and when to ask the pediatrician.

When do babies start talking?

Babies start talking long before their first word, with sounds they trade back and forth with you. By 4 months the CDC expects most babies to coo (“oooo”, “aahh”) and to make “sounds back when you talk to him”. Babbling with consonants comes next: “Between 4-7 months, babies start making repetitive sounds like ‘bah’ or ‘dah’”, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ HealthyChildren.org, and long strings like “mamamama” follow by 7–9 months.

First words arrive around the first birthday. NIDCD says a baby “Has one or two words (‘Hi,’ ‘dog,’ ‘Dada,’ or ‘Mama’) by first birthday”. Two-word phrases such as “more milk” come by about 2, and sentences of four or more words by 4.

Each of those milestones has two ages, because the sources measure different things. ASHA and NIDCD describe when a skill usually appears. The CDC explains that its 2022 checklists place each milestone at the age “by which at least 75% of children would be expected to exhibit them”. The CDC moved to that line from 50% because “With a milestone at 50%, half of all children would still reasonably be expected to have not yet achieved it.”

Milestone	Usually appears	Most children (75% or more) have done it by (CDC)
Cooing (“oooo”, “aahh”)	Birth–3 months (ASHA)	4 months
Babbling (“bah”, “dah”, then “mamamama”)	4–7 months, long strings by 7–9 months (AAP, ASHA)	9 months
One or two words, like mama, dada, hi, bye	10–12 months (ASHA), by the first birthday (NIDCD)	15 months, one or two words besides “mama” or “dada”
Two words together, like “more milk”	19–24 months (ASHA)	2 years
About 50 words	19–24 months (ASHA)	30 months
Sentences of four or more words	No age given by ASHA or NIDCD	4 years

Speech and language milestones by age, from cooing to sentences

The CDC’s 2022 milestone checklists list what most children (75% or more) say and understand at each age from 2 months to 4 years. The items below are the CDC’s Language/Communication milestones, word for word, from its Learn the Signs. Act Early. age pages. Find your child’s age and read across: a child who does these things is on track, and most children did many of them weeks or months earlier.

By this age	Talking (CDC)	Understanding and gestures (CDC)
2 months	Makes sounds other than crying	Reacts to loud sounds
4 months	Makes sounds like “oooo”, “aahh” (cooing); Makes sounds back when you talk to him	Turns head towards the sound of your voice
6 months	Takes turns making sounds with you; Blows “raspberries” (sticks tongue out and blows); Makes squealing noises
9 months	Makes a lot of different sounds like “mamamama” and “bababababa”	Lifts arms up to be picked up
1 year	Calls a parent “mama” or “dada” or another special name	Waves “bye-bye”; Understands “no” (pauses briefly or stops when you say it)
15 months	Tries to say one or two words besides “mama” or “dada,” like “ba” for ball or “da” for dog	Looks at a familiar object when you name it; Follows directions given with both a gesture and words. For example, he gives you a toy when you hold out your hand and say, “Give me the toy.”; Points to ask for something or to get help
18 months	Tries to say three or more words besides “mama” or “dada”	Follows one-step directions without any gestures, like giving you the toy when you say, “Give it to me.”
2 years	Says at least two words together, like “More milk.”	Points to things in a book when you ask, like “Where is the bear?”; Points to at least two body parts when you ask him to show you; Uses more gestures than just waving and pointing, like blowing a kiss or nodding yes
30 months	Says about 50 words; Says two or more words together, with one action word, like “Doggie run”; Names things in a book when you point and ask, “What is this?”; Says words like “I,” “me,” or “we”
3 years	Talks with you in conversation using at least two back-and-forth exchanges; Asks “who,” “what,” “where,” or “why” questions, like “Where is mommy/daddy?”; Says what action is happening in a picture or book when asked, like “running,” “eating,” or “playing”; Says first name, when asked; Talks well enough for others to understand, most of the time
4 years	Says sentences with four or more words; Says some words from a song, story, or nursery rhyme; Talks about at least one thing that happened during her day, like “I played soccer.”; Answers simple questions like “What is a coat for?” or “What is a crayon for?”

ASHA puts the 50-word milestone a year earlier than the CDC does. ASHA’s communication milestones list “Uses and understands at least 50 different words” at 19–24 months, where the CDC has “Says about 50 words” at 30 months. Both are right: one is when it usually happens, the other is the line by which most children have done it.

The CDC says its checklists “should not be used as screening or diagnostic tools”. A missed item is a reason to talk to your child’s doctor, not a diagnosis. The CDC’s free Milestone Tracker app holds the full checklists, including movement and play. From 4, the milestones that matter next are about reading: see reading milestones by age.

The check below turns the milestones for your child’s age into questions. Pick the age your child has reached and it asks about each of the CDC’s talking and understanding milestones in the table, with a tip on how to tell, then three questions for every age: whether your child responds to sounds, whether they have stopped saying words they used to, and whether you are worried. It ends with what to do next, in words. Like the CDC’s checklists, it is not a screening test, and your answers stay on the page.

Interactive

Check Your Child’s Talking Milestones

A few minutes of questions about what you have seen, for your child’s age. It ends with what to do next, in words.

How old is your child?

Pick the age your child has reached.Between two ages, pick the younger one: each milestone is set at the age by which most children have reached it.

2 months2 to 3 months old4 months4 to 5 months old6 months6 to 8 months old9 months9 to 11 months old1 year12 to 14 months old15 months15 to 17 months old18 months18 to 23 months old2 years24 to 29 months old30 months30 to 35 months old3 years3 years old4 years4 years old

Based on the CDC’s milestones. This is guidance, not a screening test or a diagnosis. Your answers are not saved and never leave this page.

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Free printable talking milestones checklist

The CDC's talking and understanding milestones from 1 year to 3 years, word for word, with Yes, Not yet and Not sure boxes for each, and a page on what the ages mean and when to talk to the doctor. Bring it to your child's next checkup. No account, no email.

1. Talking Milestones Checklist (PDF)22 milestones · 3 pagesDownload

When do babies say their first word?

Most babies say their first word around their first birthday. NIDCD gives “one or two words” by the first birthday, and ASHA’s milestones for birth to 1 year list “Says one or two words” at 10–12 months, naming “mama, dada, hi, and bye” as examples. Some babies say a first word earlier and some later.

A first word does not have to sound like the adult word. A sound your baby uses again and again for the same thing counts. The CDC’s own 15-month milestone makes the point with its examples: “Tries to say one or two words besides ‘mama’ or ‘dada,’ like ‘ba’ for ball or ‘da’ for dog.” Common first words are the people and things in a baby’s day: mama, dada, hi, bye, dog, ball.

The CDC’s line for first words is 15 months. By then it expects most children to try one or two words besides mama or dada, and by 18 months three or more. So a child of 18 months with no words yet has passed both lines, and that is a reason to talk to your pediatrician now rather than wait.

How many words should a toddler say at 18 months, 2 years and 3 years?

At 18 months, the CDC expects most children to try to say three or more words besides mama or dada. That is a low line. HealthyChildren.org says toddlers “Learn about 1 new word per week between 1½ and 2 years”, so a child’s word count grows quickly through this stretch. ASHA’s milestones for 13–18 months give no word count.

At 2, most children say about 50 words or more. ASHA’s milestones for 19–24 months say a child “Uses and understands at least 50 different words”, and HealthyChildren.org says that by 2 years most toddlers will “Be able to say about 50 to 100 words”. The CDC puts “Says about 50 words” at 30 months, the age by which at least 75% of children should be saying them.

The two ages are far apart, and a 2023 review in ASHA’s research journal explains why. Megan Roberts and colleagues at Northwestern University compared the CDC’s word-count milestones with the MacArthur-Bates norms, which come from parent reports, and found they “indicate when 85% or more of children have acquired that skill”. On those norms, a child saying 50 words at 18–20 months is at the 25th percentile. So a 2-year-old with fewer than 50 words is behind most children, even though the CDC’s line is still months away.

Speech-language pathologists call a 2-year-old with “fewer than 50 words and no two-word combinations by 24 months of age” a late talker, according to ASHA’s Practice Portal, and estimate that between 10% and 20% of 2-year-olds fit it. For a bilingual child, count the words in both languages together.

At 3, no authority gives a word count. NIDCD says that between 2 and 3 a child “Has a word for almost everything”, and by then the words are too many to count. The CDC’s 3-year milestones measure how the words are used instead: a conversation of “at least two back-and-forth exchanges”, “who,” “what,” “where,” or “why” questions, saying their first name, and talking “well enough for others to understand, most of the time”.

When do kids start talking in sentences?

Children start putting two words together between about 18 months and 2 years, and most speak in sentences of four or more words by 4. The CDC’s 2-year milestone is “Says at least two words together, like ‘More milk.’”, and ASHA lists “Puts two or more words together” at 19–24 months, with “more water” and “go outside” as examples.

Early sentences leave out the little words, and that is typical. HealthyChildren.org says that by 2 most toddlers will “Say several 2-word phrases like ‘Daddy go,’ ‘Doll mine,’ and ‘All gone,’” and perhaps “a few 3-word sentences like ‘I want juice’ or ‘You go bye-bye.’” No “is”, no “the”, no “my”: the words that carry the meaning come first.

By 30 months the CDC expects two or more words “with one action word, like ‘Doggie run’”, and words like “I,” “me,” or “we”. Between 2 and 3, ASHA says a child “Uses word combinations often” and starts to add -ing and -ed to words. By 4, the CDC milestone is “Says sentences with four or more words”, along with talking about something that happened during the day.

When do babies understand words and follow directions?

Babies understand words months before they say them. By 1, the CDC expects most babies to understand “no” and pause or stop when they hear it. By 15 months a child “Looks at a familiar object when you name it” and follows directions given with a gesture and words, such as holding out a hand and saying “Give me the toy.”

By 18 months most children follow one-step directions without a gesture. Between 19 and 24 months, ASHA says a child “Follows two-step directions”, such as getting the spoon and putting it on the table. A child who understands questions before they can answer in sentences is typical: ASHA says that between 13 and 18 months children look around “when asked ‘where’ questions”, and four-word sentences do not come until about 4.

Understanding is worth checking alongside words. A toddler who says few words but follows directions, points to pictures you name and brings things you ask for is showing the half of language that comes first.

How clear should a toddler’s speech be?

At 2, many words are still unclear, and that is typical. HealthyChildren.org says that by 2 most toddlers are understood by others “about half of the time”. Between 2 and 3, ASHA says speech “is becoming clearer but may not be understandable to unfamiliar listeners or to people who do not know your child”.

By 3, the CDC expects most children to talk “well enough for others to understand, most of the time”. By 4, ASHA’s milestones for 3–4 years say a child “speaks so that people can understand most of what they say”. So judge clarity by who understands your child, not by single sounds: others understanding about half of what a 2-year-old says is typical, and people understanding most of what a 4-year-old says is the goal.

Some sounds take years longer, and children often simplify words in patterns while they learn, such as “tat” for cat. The ages those patterns usually stop are on the phonological processes chart.

Do bilingual babies start talking later?

Learning two languages does not make babies talk later. ASHA’s page for families says “Using multiple languages does not confuse children or cause speech or language delays”, and that most multilingual children, like children learning one language, “start using their first words by 1 year old, and two-word phrases (like ‘my ball’) by 2 years old” (ASHA).

Count a bilingual child’s words in both languages together. A joint page from the American Academy of Pediatrics and ASHA gives the example: “A child who speaks English and Spanish may have 25 words in English and 25 words in Spanish. They both have the same total number of words” (HealthyChildren.org). Mixing the two languages in one sentence “is normal. It does not mean that your child is confused.”

Two languages are not a reason to wait. ASHA says that if a child has a communication issue, “it will show up in all the languages they use”, so a bilingual child who is past a milestone in both languages together should be checked like any other child.

Do boys talk later than girls?

Girls are slightly ahead of boys in early talking on average, and the difference is small. A study of 13,783 children in 10 language communities by Eriksson and colleagues (2012) found “girls are slightly ahead of boys in early communicative gestures, in productive vocabulary, and in combining words”, from 8 months to 2½ years, and that the difference grew with age.

Boys are more likely to be late talkers. ASHA’s Practice Portal says “Males are 3 times more likely than females” to show late language emergence.

The milestones and the lines for asking are the same for boys and girls. A small average difference between groups says nothing about one child, so “he’s a boy” is not a reason to wait if your son is past a milestone.

How to encourage your baby or toddler to talk

Babies and toddlers learn to talk through back-and-forth talk with the people who care for them. The Harvard Center on the Developing Child calls it serve and return: “responsive, back-and-forth exchanges between a young child and a caring adult”. Your baby serves with a sound, a look or a point, and you return it with words. The habits below work from the first months, and none needs a toy or a screen.

1. 1

   Take turns: serve and return

   Notice what your baby is looking at, pointing to or babbling about, and answer it with words. Then pause and wait for a reply, a sound, a look or a word, before you talk again.

2. 2

   Narrate the day

   Name what you see and do as you do it: socks on, one sock, two socks. Short, clear phrases about the thing in front of your child are the easiest to pick up.

3. 3

   Read together every day

   Look at a picture book together and talk about the pictures. Ask your toddler to point to things (where is the bear?) and, as they get older, to name them.

4. 4

   Add one word

   When your child says one word, say it back with one more: ball becomes big ball or roll the ball. When they say two words, add a third.

5. 5

   Say it back, do not correct

   When a word comes out unclear, say it back clearly in your reply (yes, a dog!) instead of asking your child to say it again. Answer what they meant, not how they said it.

6. 6

   Sing and use rhymes

   Sing the same songs and nursery rhymes again and again. The repeated words and patterns give your child words to join in on.

7. 7

   Talk in your own language

   Use the language or languages you are most comfortable in. Using two languages does not cause a speech or language delay, according to ASHA.

The pause is what makes it a turn. After you answer your baby, wait a few seconds before you talk again, so they have room to reply with a sound, a look or a word. For a toddler, a picture book does the same job: ask, point, wait, and answer what they say.

Talk in the language you know best. ASHA’s family page advises “Talk to your child in the language(s) you are most comfortable using. This will help your child produce sounds, learn new words, use full sentences, tell stories, and socialize.”

When should I talk to my pediatrician about my child’s talking?

Talk to your pediatrician whenever your child is not meeting a milestone, has lost a skill, or you are worried. The CDC’s line is plain: “If your child is not meeting one or more milestones, has lost skills he or she once had, or you have other concerns, act early.” A parent’s worry is reason enough.

Ask at any age if your child:

• is past the CDC’s line for a talking or understanding milestone in the table above for their age;
• stops babbling, or stops saying words they used to say;
• does not respond to your voice or to loud noises, which HealthyChildren.org lists as a reason to call;
• has no words besides mama or dada by 18 months, or no two-word phrases by 2.

These questions already have a place in your child’s checkups. The CDC notes that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends developmental screening “at 9, 18, and 30 months”. Bring the checklist from this page, or the CDC’s own, to that visit. A hearing test is often part of an evaluation, NIDCD says, “because a hearing problem can affect speech and language development”.

If your doctor refers you, a speech-language pathologist assesses talking and understanding. ASHA ProFind lists certified speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

What a speech delay is, what an evaluation involves and how to ask for a free one are explained on the speech delay in toddlers page. If you are also wondering about autism, the speech delay or autism page sets out what doctors look at to tell the two apart.