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Milestones

Talking milestones from 1 to 5 years

Every child learns to talk at their own speed. These ages are a rough guide, not a test.[1]

  • Checked 2 November 2026
  • 11 sources
  • No adverts, no tracking

How to read these lists

  • The CDC lists below show what most children (75% or more) can do by that age.[2] That means a quarter of children can't do it yet.
  • They are not a screening test. Only a trained professional can assess your child.[3]
  • If your child hasn't reached a milestone, or you have any other worry, talk to someone rather than "wait and see".[4]
  • If your child hears two languages, count their words in both languages together. Bilingual toddlers know more words in total across their two languages.[5]

Around 12 months

  • Babbles strings of sounds and starts to respond to their name.[1]
  • Waves "bye-bye", says a word like "mama" or "dada" and understands "no".[6]

12 to 18 months

  • Understands a few everyday words and simple instructions, like "give me".[7]
  • Uses a few clear words: one NHS hospital says about three on average[1], and one NHS trust says up to 20 by 18 months.[7] Unfamiliar adults may not always understand them.
  • Points and uses gestures, often with words or sounds.[7] By 18 months, tries to say three or more words.[8]

18 months to 2 years

  • Understands many more words (one NHS trust says between 200 and 500) and simple questions.[7]
  • Says 50 or more single words and starts joining two or three words, like "more juice".[7]
  • By 2: says at least two words together, points to pictures in a book when asked, and uses gestures like nodding.[2]

Sources give quite different word counts at age 2, so think of these numbers as a range.

2 to 3 years

  • Follows longer instructions, like "make teddy jump", and simple "who", "what" and "where" questions.[7]
  • Uses up to 300 words and puts 4 or 5 words together.[7]
  • By 3: has short back-and-forth conversations and talks well enough for others to understand most of the time.[9]

3 to 4 years

  • Understands colour, number and time words, and can answer "why" questions.[7]
  • Uses longer sentences and links them together. Mistakes like "runned" are normal.[7]
  • By 4: says sentences of four or more words.[10]

4 to 5 years

  • Follows spoken instructions without stopping to look, and asks what new words mean.[7]
  • Uses well-formed sentences, with some grammar mistakes like "goed".[7]
  • By 5: tells a simple story with at least two events and keeps a conversation going for more than three turns.[11]

Talk to someone soon if your child loses skills

If your child stops using words or skills they had before, talk to your GP or health visitor.[3]

Not sure what to do next? See When to get help.

Sources for this page

  1. Speech and language development: 12 to 24 months · Great Ormond Street Hospital (NHS)
  2. Milestones by 2 years · CDC (USA)
  3. CDC's developmental milestones · CDC (USA)
  4. About Learn the Signs. Act Early. · CDC (USA)
  5. Siow et al. (2023). Double it up: vocabulary size comparisons between UK bilingual and monolingual toddlers · Infancy
  6. Milestones by 1 year · CDC (USA)
  7. Developmental stages (speech and language) · NELFT NHS Foundation Trust, with I CAN
  8. Milestones by 18 months · CDC (USA)
  9. Milestones by 3 years · CDC (USA)
  10. Milestones by 4 years · CDC (USA)
  11. Milestones by 5 years · CDC (USA)

Every source was opened and checked on 2 November 2026. All sources