When do babies start talking?
Most babies say their first word, often a name for a parent like "mama" or "dada," by about 12 months. By 18 months most try at least three words, and by 2 years most put two words together. These are ages most children (75% or more) reach, so many healthy children get there a little later.
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The short answer: first words around the first birthday
Talking starts long before the first word. Babies coo, then babble, then point, and they understand words months before they say any. In a 2012 University of Pennsylvania study, 33 babies aged 6 to 9 months looked at the right picture when a parent named common foods and body parts, such as "apple" or "nose."
The first real word usually arrives around the first birthday. Somewhere around then, a sound like "ba" starts to mean ball, every time. Then the words come faster, and two-word phrases follow around age 2.
The talking timeline, month by month
These come from the CDC's milestone checklists, which list what 75% or more of children do by each age.
| By about | Most babies and toddlers |
|---|---|
| 2 months | React to loud sounds, smile when you smile or talk |
| 4 months | Coo ("oooo," "aahh") and make sounds back when you talk |
| 6 months | Laugh and take turns making sounds with you |
| 9 months | Look when you call their name; babble strings like "mamama" or "bababa" |
| 12 months | Wave bye-bye, call a parent "mama," "dada" or another special name, understand "no" |
| 18 months | Try to say three or more words besides "mama" or "dada"; follow a one-step direction without a gesture |
| 2 years | Say at least two words together ("More milk"); point to things in a book when you ask |
| 30 months | Say about 50 words; put two or more words together with an action word ("Doggie run") |
Notice the "75% or more." These are ages most children reach, so plenty of perfectly healthy children get there a bit later. For the 2-year mark in detail, see how many words a 2-year-old should say.
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Talking starts in the first days and months
Your baby has been listening to you for months before the first word. Newborns even cry with the melody of their parents' language: in a study of 60 babies aged 3 to 5 days, French newborns tended to cry with a rising melody and German newborns with a falling one, matching each language.
After birth, a few stages build toward words:
- Faces and coos (birth to 6 months). Your baby studies your face, then starts cooing. When they coo, coo back. You copying them is a powerful answer.
- Babble (about 4 to 10 months). Sounds move from vowels ("aah") to strings of consonants ("ba-ba-ba," "da-da"). In a study of 30 babies about 8 months old, babbles that got a quick, warm response from mom became more mature and more word-like.
- Pointing (about 9 to 12 months). A pointing finger is a whole sentence: "Look at that. Tell me about it." Across 25 studies, babies who pointed more tended to have stronger language skills.
Not every child has a word explosion
You may have heard of the "vocabulary spurt," when a toddler suddenly adds words every day. It doesn't happen to every child. When researchers tracked new words week by week in 38 toddlers, only 5 showed a true sudden spurt. The other 33 added words at a rate that sped up gradually. If your child's vocabulary grows steadily without a dramatic explosion, that's a common, healthy pattern.
Children learning two languages follow the same broad pattern. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) notes that most say first words by about age 1 and two-word phrases by 2. See does raising a child bilingual cause speech delay.
How to help your baby start talking
You need no equipment. Just your face, your voice and a few seconds of patience.
- Use parentese. Real words in a slow, high, sing-song voice: "Here's your spoooon." In a randomized trial, coaching parents to use it was linked to about 100 words at 18 months versus about 60. More in is baby talk good or bad.
- Pause. After you speak, count silently to five. Often your baby's answer arrives at about four.
- Turn babble into words. "Ba-ba-ba" gets "Ball! Here's your ball."
- Name what they look at. "That's the cat!" "Those are your toes."
- Answer every point. Look where they point, name it, and bring it closer if it's safe.
- Read and sing together. Sing a traditional rhyme like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and stop before a key word for your baby's turn.
When to check with your doctor
A missed milestone isn't a diagnosis. It means "ask now." Bring it up at the next visit, or sooner, if your baby isn't babbling by 9 months, isn't using a special name for a parent by 12 months, or isn't trying to say three words by 18 months. Any time speech is a concern, ask for a hearing test too, even if your baby passed the newborn screen.
Screening is routine, so you can ask for it. The AAP recommends a general developmental screen at 9, 18 and 30 months, using a tested tool rather than a quick checklist. If your practice skips it, ask: "Can we do the developmental screen today?" In the US, you can also call your state's early intervention program yourself for a child under 3. No doctor's referral is needed, and the evaluation is free.
If your child loses words, sounds or skills they used to have, call your doctor now. That's a different situation and shouldn't wait.
Do this
- Count to five after you speak to your baby, before you add more words.
- Answer babbles quickly with a smile, a touch or a real word.
- Use parentese during one daily routine, such as feeding or bath.
- Look where your baby points and name it every time.
- Check your baby against the CDC milestone list for their age before each well visit.
When to ask your doctor
Check with your doctor or midwife first if…
- Your baby was born early: ask your doctor which age to use when you check milestones.
- Your baby passed the newborn hearing screen but you're unsure they hear well: ask for a hearing test anyway.
- Your family speaks more than one language: count words in all of them.
Call your doctor now if…
- Your baby or toddler loses words, sounds or skills they used to have: call your doctor now.
- Your baby doesn't startle at loud sounds or react to your voice: raise it right away.
- Your baby isn't babbling strings like "mamama" or looking when you call their name by 9 months: ask your doctor.
- Your toddler isn't trying to say three words by 18 months: mention it at the next visit or sooner.
This page is general information, not medical advice. Every pregnancy and every child is different. Ask your doctor, midwife or pediatrician before changing supplements, diet or care.
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In the book: Chapter 20: The Word Explosion
The book follows talking from the first coo to full sentences, with the habits that feed it at each age, and The Milestone Map gives you a month-by-month self-check to age 6.
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People also ask
What age do most babies say their first word?
Around 12 months. By then, most babies (75% or more) call a parent "mama," "dada" or another special name, wave bye-bye and understand "no," according to the CDC. Many babies understand some words months earlier, from about 6 to 9 months.
Is "dada" at 7 months a real word?
Usually it's babble. Babbling moves from vowels to consonant strings like "da-da" and "ba-ba" between about 4 and 10 months. It becomes a word when your baby uses it to mean the same person, every time. Answer it warmly either way: "Dada! Here's Dada!"
Do boys talk later than girls?
Boys are about three times more likely than girls to be "late talkers," meaning their language starts late while the rest of their development is on track. The milestones and the advice to check are the same for every child.
Do bilingual babies start talking later?
Not as a rule. ASHA notes that most children learning more than one language say first words by about age 1 and two-word phrases by 2. Mixing languages is normal. Count words in every language when you check progress.