First words

Also called First word, Early words, Emerging language

What they usually are, when they usually come, and the point at which it is reasonable to ask for help rather than wait and see.

What it is

A first word is a sound the child uses consistently to mean one thing, whether or not it sounds like the adult word. "Ba" for ball, used every time for ball, counts. "Dada" said at random doesn't, yet. It's the consistency and the meaning that make it a word.

First words are typically people, objects, animals, routines and social words: mama, dada, ball, dog, more, bye, no. Nouns dominate, but "more", "gone" and "no" arrive early in most children and do more work than any noun.

Who it can help

Parents watching for a milestone, and anyone deciding whether a toddler needs help. The honest picture is a wide range: most children say a first word around their first birthday, and anywhere between about ten and eighteen months is ordinary. What matters more than the date is what comes alongside: understanding, pointing, babbling, joint attention, and the pace of what follows.

For non-speaking children, the idea transfers. A first consistent sign, a first symbol pressed to mean something, a first look at a picture to choose: these are first words and should be celebrated as such.

How it works

Words come slowly at first, then faster. From the first word to around fifty words typically takes several months; many children reach fifty words between eighteen months and two years, and at about that point most start combining them (two-word stage) and vocabulary accelerates (vocabulary growth).

Early words are learned from repeated exposure in moments of shared attention, so the words a child says first are the words they've heard most, in the situations they care most about. Which is why "iPad" and "Peppa" are common first words now and "telephone" isn't.

Understanding runs well ahead. A child with five spoken words at fifteen months typically understands dozens, and it's understanding plus gesture, not the count of spoken words, that says most about how things are going.

Getting started

Keep a list. Every word, however it sounds, with what it means. This is what the health visitor or therapist will ask for, and it stops the "she says loads" versus "he hardly says anything" arguments.

Say the words you want them to learn, often, in context, at the moment they're looking. Name things as they happen: "shoes on", "bath time", "all gone". And follow their lead: the words about what they're already interested in are the ones that stick.

Ask for help if there are no words by around eighteen months, if there's little pointing or gesture, if understanding seems limited, or if you're simply worried. Your health visitor is the first call, and in most areas you can refer to speech and language therapy yourself. See late talkers for what usually happens next.

Where to get help

The NHS guide to first words and little sentences, 1 to 2 years. Speech and Language UK runs a free helpline for parents and publishes what to expect at each age. The health visitor's reviews at around one year and two to two and a half are the routine points where this is checked.