The 25 Words A 2-Year-Old Should Be Saying

Thursday, February 23rd, 2012

By age 2, most kids are talking. There is a wide range in the number of words they use, but it’s typically suggested that they are using at least 50. However, as reported by Heidi Evans in the NY Daily News, new research by Dr. Leslie Rescorla (a professor and clinician at Bryn Mawr College) is refining this perspective by listing the 25 most common words that toddlers master – and suggesting that if your 2-year-old isn’t, at a minimum, using these words, then it makes sense to seek out an evaluation. Here is the list, as quoted from the NY Daily News article:

Mommy
Daddy
baby
milk
juice
hello
bye-bye
yes
no
dog
cat
ball
nose
eye
banana
cookie
car
hot
thank-you
bath
shoe
hat
book
more
all gone

What you should note about the list is that these are the basic words that are most frequently used conversationally by toddlers as they interact with their world. So if a 2-year-old isn’t routinely using them, it’s time to talk to your pediatrician about getting an evaluation. There could be many reasons why spoken language isn’t developing at the typical rate (there could be a hearing problem, an issue with the mechanics of speaking, or early signs of an underlying learning disorder or autism spectrum disorder) – and it may turn out to be that the words will just come with time. But, this is the age to start screening and evaluating, so that if there is a detectable problem, an appropriate intervention can be discussed and implemented. This last point is the critical one, as the earlier an intervention starts, the more effective it will be.

Image of toddler talking via Shutterstock.com