Toddler Only Saying a Few Words
The short answer
By 18 months, most toddlers say around 10 to 20 words, and by age 2, they typically have 50 or more. If your toddler has fewer words than expected but is understanding language well, using gestures, and learning new words (even slowly), they may simply be on the later end of normal. But if the gap keeps growing, an evaluation can provide clarity and support.
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By Age
What to expect by age
12-15 months
Many toddlers say their first real words between 12 and 15 months, though some take longer. Having 1 to 5 words at this stage is common. What matters most is whether your child is communicating in other ways - pointing, waving, reaching, making eye contact, and babbling with varied sounds. These are all strong signs that spoken words are on their way.
15-18 months
By 15-18 months, most toddlers have around 10-20 words, though there's a wide range. If your child has fewer than 5 words at 18 months, mention it to your pediatrician. However, if they're understanding language, following simple directions, and communicating with gestures and sounds, they may just be building up to a vocabulary burst.
18-24 months
This is when vocabulary typically takes off. Many toddlers experience a "word explosion" somewhere between 18 and 24 months, rapidly going from 20 words to 50 or more. If your child hasn't had this burst by age 2 and has fewer than 50 words, they're considered a late talker. A speech evaluation can help determine whether they'll catch up on their own or need support.
2-3 years
By age 2, children should have at least 50 words and be combining them into simple phrases. By age 3, most children have 200-1,000 words and are speaking in sentences. If your 2-year-old is still using only a handful of words, speech therapy can help bridge the gap. Early intervention at this stage has excellent outcomes.
What Should You Do?
When to take action
- Your 12-15-month-old has just a few words but is babbling actively, pointing, and understanding what you say - words are coming.
- Your 18-month-old has about 10 words and is adding one or two new ones each week - slow and steady growth is still progress.
- Your toddler understands far more than they say - strong receptive language usually means expressive language will follow.
- Your toddler is in a bilingual household and has fewer words in each language individually, but their combined vocabulary across both languages is on track.
- Your child just had a major developmental leap in motor skills (like starting to walk) and speech has temporarily slowed - this can happen.
- Your child has fewer than 5 words at 18 months.
- Your child has fewer than 50 words at 24 months or is not learning new words.
- Your child seems to understand very little of what you say, in addition to having few spoken words.
- Your child is 2 years old with fewer than 10 words and is not using any gestures to communicate - this combination suggests a significant delay.
- Your child has lost words they previously used consistently - any regression in language should be evaluated urgently.
Sources
Related Resources
Trust your instincts. If something feels wrong, reach out to your pediatrician.
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Related Speech Concerns
Accent vs Speech Disorder in Bilingual Toddlers
When toddlers grow up hearing more than one language, they naturally blend sounds, patterns, and accents from both languages. This is normal and healthy, not a speech disorder. A bilingual child may pronounce some sounds differently than monolingual peers because they are learning the sound systems of two languages simultaneously. True speech disorders affect both languages equally, while accent influence appears only in specific sounds borrowed from one language to another.
Ear Fluid Affecting Baby's Speech Development
Chronic or recurrent middle ear fluid (otitis media with effusion) can temporarily reduce hearing by 15 to 40 decibels, which is like hearing through water. During critical periods of language learning, this muffled hearing can impact speech and language development. If your baby has frequent ear infections or persistent fluid, discuss the potential speech impact with your pediatrician.
Will Ear Tubes Help My Child's Speech?
Ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes) can restore normal hearing by draining persistent fluid from the middle ear. Many children show speech and language improvement within weeks to months after tube placement, particularly if hearing loss from fluid was contributing to their speech delay. However, ear tubes alone may not resolve all speech delays, and some children benefit from speech therapy alongside tube placement.
Baby Failed Newborn Hearing Screen - What Now?
Failing a newborn hearing screen does not necessarily mean your baby has hearing loss. Many babies who fail the initial screen pass on follow-up testing. However, it is critical to complete follow-up testing by 3 months of age. If hearing loss is confirmed, early intervention by 6 months of age leads to significantly better language outcomes.
Baby Using Jargon but No Real Words
Jargon babbling, which sounds like your baby is having a conversation in a made-up language, typically appears between 10 and 14 months and is a positive sign that your baby is learning the rhythm and melody of speech. Real words usually emerge from jargon over the following months. If no real words appear by 16 to 18 months, a speech evaluation may be helpful.
My Baby Is Losing Words or Skills
If your child was consistently using words and has truly stopped, this is something to act on promptly. Regression - the genuine loss of skills a child previously had - is different from a normal plateau or a toddler being too busy to talk, and it always warrants a conversation with your pediatrician sooner rather than later.