Most children say their first words at some point between nine and eighteen months, have a vocabulary of around fifty words at 18 to 24 months, and start putting two words together at roughly 18 to 30 months. Understanding is far ahead of speech. There is a lot of variation, but a child who is not babbling at one year or has no words at two should be assessed by BVC (the child health clinic every family is enrolled in).
A fourteen-month-old girl in a hallway in Östermalm points at the shoes and says da. Her mother says: yes, shoes, we're going out. That was a conversation. That is how language is learned: not from flashcards or apps, but from thousands of seconds like that, year after year, with someone who answers.
Language development step by step
| Age | What children usually do |
|---|---|
| 0 to 3 months | Cries, gurgles, turns towards voices, answers with sounds when you talk |
| 3 to 6 months | Babbles with vowels, laughs, takes turns making sounds as if in a conversation |
| 6 to 10 months | Syllable babbling: ba-ba, da-da, ma-ma. Responds to their name |
| 9 to 15 months | Points, understands simple words and instructions, first words arrive |
| 12 to 18 months | Often five to twenty words, understands far more, uses gestures and points to ask for things |
| 18 to 24 months | Vocabulary grows fast, often around fifty words at two, first two-word sentences |
| 2 to 3 years | Short sentences, asks questions, tells you little things. Parents understand most of it, strangers some |
| 3 to 4 years | Longer sentences, tells you what happened, strangers understand most of it. Pronunciation errors are still normal |
Understanding comes first
Long before your child says anything, they understand. At twelve to fifteen months most can fetch the ball or look at the lamp when asked. This is the most important sign to watch: a child who understands, points, uses gestures and makes contact is on the right track, even if the words are slow to come. A child who talks but doesn't seem to understand, or doesn't respond to their name, is the one BVC wants to know about. That is why they ask more about understanding than about the number of words.
How to support language in everyday life
- Talk about what you are doing. Now we're putting on your sock. Here's your cup. It feels silly the first week and then you stop noticing.
- Answer the babbling. Your child says ba, you say: yes, the ball! Taking turns is the basis of all conversation.
- Name what your child points at. Follow your child's interest, not your own. Words for what your child is looking at stick best.
- Read every day, from a few months old. Picture books, the same book twenty times, that is how vocabulary is built. See Reading to children.
- Sing. Rhythm, repetition and actions make words easy to remember. See Swedish children's songs with lyrics.
- Repeat it correctly instead of correcting. Your child says: doggy runned. You say: yes, the dog ran fast. Not: it's ran, not runned.
- Wait. Pause after a question, longer than feels comfortable. Children need time to find the word.
- Turn off background TV and radio. They reduce the amount of talk between you and your child, as measured in studies.
- No screens before two. That is the recommendation from Folkhälsomyndigheten (the Public Health Agency of Sweden), and language is one of the reasons. The screen doesn't answer.
- Two languages are better than one silent one. If you speak another language at home, keep doing so. See Multilingual children.
Dummies, thumbs and speech
A child with a dummy in their mouth all day babbles and talks less, simply because the mouth is busy. On its own that doesn't delay language, but it removes practice opportunities. Let the dummy stay in the cot from around one year, so the mouth is free when there is something to say. More in Giving up the dummy.
Late talkers: what is common and when to act
Roughly one child in six or seven counts as a late talker at two, and most of them catch up without help before they start school. What decides whether it is worth waiting or doing something is not the number of words but everything around them: does your child understand, point, babble, make contact, hear? Hearing deserves a special mention. Children who have had many ear infections or have fluid behind the eardrum can hear in a muffled way for long periods, and it shows in their language. Ask BVC to check hearing if you are unsure. BVC also does a language assessment at two and a half to three years, depending on the region, and that is a good time to raise anything you have wondered about.
- Your child is not babbling at ten to twelve months
- Doesn't react to sounds or to their name
- Has no words at all at 18 months
- Isn't putting two words together at two and a half to three years
- Loses words they used to have
- Is very hard to understand at three to four years, even for you
- Shows little interest in contact, doesn't point, doesn't share attention with you
Any one of these signs means: talk to BVC. It doesn't mean something is wrong, it means it is time to look. Early support from a speech and language therapist (logoped) makes a difference, and it is easier to get at two than at five.
Stammering, pronunciation and other things that are usually normal
Between two and four, many children stammer in phases, usually when their thoughts run faster than their mouths. For most it passes by itself. Give them time, don't interrupt, don't fill in words. If it continues for more than six months, or if your child tenses up and avoids talking, ask BVC for a referral to a logoped. Some sounds come late in almost everyone: r, s and the Swedish sje sound can take until six or seven. That is not a speech defect, it is the order the sounds arrive in.
How we do it with our families
Denise speaks Spanish with two siblings aged two and four in Hässelby, at the parents' request. The two-year-old said agua and vatten in the same week and got the same delighted response both times. She does nothing special: she talks all the time about what they are doing, waits for an answer, reads the same book about the tractor for the fifth time. On the note she writes down new words as she hears them, because the parents want to know. That is how families discover that the vocabulary is twice as big as they thought, since half of it is said in a language they don't always hear.
This text is general information and does not replace advice from BVC, your vårdcentral (local health centre) or 1177 (the national healthcare helpline). If you are worried about your child, call 1177. In an emergency, call 112.
Would you like a nanny who knows your child, knows what is usual for them and notices when something is different? Book a free first meeting with the nanny at your home.
Read more: Multilingual children · Reading to children · Giving up the dummy · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a word?
A sound your child uses consistently for the same thing, even if it doesn't sound like your word. If your child always says ba for the ball, that is a word. Mummy and daddy count when they are directed at the right person. Animal sounds like woof for dog count too. That means most children have more words than their parents first think.
Is it normal for boys to talk later?
On average, boys are slightly behind girls in early language development, but the difference is small and the ranges overlap almost completely. It is not an explanation to lean on if a child has no words at two. The same signs apply to all children, and BVC assesses them the same way.
My child understands everything but says almost nothing. Should I worry?
Good understanding is the most reassuring sign there is. Children who understand instructions, point, use gestures and make contact usually catch up in speech by themselves. But if there are no words at all at 18 months, or no two-word sentences at two and a half to three, BVC should still take a look.
Does sign-supported speech help, or does it delay talking?
It helps. Sign-supported speech, often called TAKK in Sweden, gives your child a way to express themselves before the mouth can keep up, and it reduces frustration. Research does not show that it delays speech; rather the opposite. Many förskolor (municipal preschools) already use it. Start with a few signs for food, more, sleep and finished.
When can we see a speech and language therapist?
Through BVC, who write a referral if they judge that one is needed. Common reasons are a child with no words at two, who is very hard to understand at three to four, who stammers a lot or has trouble understanding what you say. You can ask BVC for an assessment at any time; you don't need to wait for the scheduled visit.