Written by Macy Grathwol

You know when you go to the pediatrician and they ask you how many words your baby knows? Do you ever wonder what exactly counts as a ‘word’? Because, I know that when my son says “ah ah” he’s really imitating a monkey. But would the doctor count it?

Well mama, we’re here to help you answer just that! After reading this post, we hope you will feel better prepared for your baby’s next well check! As your child approaches certain language milestone ages like 12 months, 18 months, and 24 months, it’s a good idea to review your child’s expressive vocabulary so you can discuss it with your child’s pediatrician.

We anticipate that most children fall in the “expected range” which includes the average (around 50% of kids) and the milestone targets (around 90% of kids). Here’s what we are shooting for when it comes to word count:

12 months: 1 word (milestone)- 5+ words (average)
18 months: 10 words (milestone)- 50+ words (average)
24 months: 50 words (milestone)- 300+ words (average)

So what counts as a word?

Any word that your child uses independently, consistently, and in the appropriate context! Here are some word types that are accidentally left out of word counts, so be sure to include:

✨Exclamations: Some examples are YAY, uh oh, ohhh no, and wee! These are FUN to teach because they are FUN to say!

✨ Signs: Sign language is a LANGUAGE. Signs that your child initiates should absolutely be counted in their expressive vocabulary!

✨Word attempts/approximations: Does your child consistently say ba for ball? How about ta for car? Your child is still learning how to produce sounds so as long as their productions are consistent and meaningful, count it!

✨Animal sounds: Nay, moo, baa, and roar are all examples of fun animal sounds to teach your child! Animal sounds are great to teach during play so they may be more motivating for your child to learn.

✨ Words in different languages: Make a separate word count for each language your child knows! Can they say the same word in two languages? Count it twice!

Feeling concerned about your child’s speech and language skills? A Speech Language Pathologist can help YOU feel equipped to use strategies to support their communication through gestures, words, pictures, signs, and other forms of assistive and augmentative communication!

Macy Grathwol is a pediatric Speech Language Pathologist. She owns a private practice and contracts in elementary schools. Macy and her husband, Daniel, live in Ladysmith, Virginia where they raise their two year old son, Gavin, and are expecting a baby girl in July. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts, taking walks outside, and finding new sci-fi/fantasy series to read!