At what age can a child talk?

As a parent you of course want your child to be able to talk as soon as possible. Yet the age at which children start talking varies strongly. Some children start talking when they’re 11 months old, whereas other children start once they’re 20 months old. The average age that children start talking is when they’re between 12 and 17 months old.

 

 

When can a child say what?

In the overview below you can see on average what a child is able to say within an age group.

4 months
A child of 4 months often starts babbling.

6 – 9 months
A child between 6 and 9 months old often shows signs of structure in its babbling. They start to mimic sounds that you often make, and use the same sound for a certain object. Some children might start using the word ‘no’ for things that he/she doesn’t like. A lot of children also learn to say mama and dada at this stage.  

12 – 17 months
Around this age children learn to intonate. For instance when a child asks a question they will raise their tone. Or they might say “Up-py?” when wanted to be carried. A child really learns that they can ask if they want something.

18 – 24 months
When a child is 1,5 year old they know the meaning of a lot of words. In this period, children often start using 2 words after each other, for instance “daddy see”, if they want to show their dad something. A child that is advanced in talking will be able to construct sentences of 3 or 4 words before his/her 2nd birthday.

25 – 36 months
Between the ages of two and three a child’s vocabulary increases greatly. A child of this age is more able to construct sentences and it is sometimes even possible to have a proper conversation with them. Sentences of 3 or 4 words are often no problem anymore.

When should you be worried?

As mentioned previously, the development of speech varies widely between children. You therefore shouldn’t worry if a child of the same age as your child can already talk. However if you are concerned about the speech development of your child you can always contact your GP.

See besides average age child talking also: 
Average Age Walking
Average Age Potty Trained
Average Age to have First Child
Average Age Biking