Most babies say their first real, meaningful words around 12 months, but there is a wide “normal” range from about 10 to 18 months.

Typical timeline

  • Around 4–7 months: Lots of cooing and babbling (“ba-ba,” “da-da,” “ma-ma”), but these sounds usually don’t have real meaning yet.
  • Around 9–12 months: Babbling gets more complex, babies may imitate tone and sounds, and some will say early “mama” or “dada,” sometimes with meaning.
  • Around 12 months: Many babies say one or two clear words like “mama,” “dada,” or a favorite object, and understand simple requests (“come here,” “give me”).
  • Around 18 months: A lot of toddlers have about 10–20 words and may start putting two words together, like “more milk” or “bye dada.”

What’s “normal” variation?

  • Some early talkers say a first word closer to 10 months; others might not use clear words until 15–18 months and can still be within normal development.
  • Parents on forums often report huge variation: one child talking clearly before 1 year while another is mostly silent but understands everything until closer to 2.
  • Understanding (receptive language) usually comes before talking, so a baby who follows directions, points, and responds to their name is often on track even with few spoken words.

When to consider a check-in

  • No babbling by about 6–9 months.
  • No single words by about 15–18 months.
  • Loss of words or social skills that were already there.

In these cases, it is sensible to talk with a pediatrician or a speech- language therapist for a closer look at hearing and communication development.

Quick SEO-style notes

  • Focus keyword “when do babies start talking words” : Most babies say first words around 12 months, with normal range 10–18 months.
  • “Latest news”/trending: Recent pediatric and parenting resources in 2024–2026 still describe about 12 months as the average age for first words and 2 years for simple sentences.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.