How many words should a 3-year-old say? Past counting.

The short answer

There is no official number at three. The CDC’s checklist counts words up to 30 months, where it says “about 50 words.”¹ Its list for age three has five communication items, and none of them is a count.² The lists from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and the NIH’s communication-disorders institute (NIDCD) give no vocabulary size for this age either.^{3, 4}

Numbers do appear elsewhere, and they differ from page to page. KidsHealth, from Nemours, says a vocabulary is usually more than 200 words by age three.⁵ The NIDCD puts it in words rather than figures: between two and three, a child “has a word for almost everything.”⁴ That is more than anyone can tally at home, which is why the lists move on to other things.

What the checklist asks at three

The CDC’s five items describe things most children, three in four or more, can do by this age.²

• Conversation. Talks with you using at least two back-and-forth exchanges.
• Questions. Asks “who,” “what,” “where” or “why,” like “Where is mommy?”
• Action words. Says what is happening in a picture or book when asked, like “running” or “eating.”
• Their own name. Says their first name when asked.
• Being understood. Talks well enough for others to understand, most of the time.

Sentences, and how clear they sound

Phrases grow through this year. The NIDCD lists two- or three-word phrases between two and three, and sentences with four or more words between three and four.⁴ ASHA adds plurals such as “birds,” verbs ending in -ing and -ed, and questions with “why” and “how.” It also notes that a child this age may repeat words or phrases.³

The lists differ a little on clarity. The CDC has others understanding a three-year-old most of the time.² ASHA says that from two to three, speech is getting clearer but may still be hard for unfamiliar listeners, and it places being understood by most people at four.^{3, 6} Even at four, some sounds can still be on their way, among them l, r, s, sh, ch and th.⁶ A stranger missing the odd word at three fits both lists.

In two languages

Usually by age three, children learning more than one language can keep them apart, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and ASHA. The same guidance says that a speech or language problem shows up in all the languages a child uses.⁷ So it helps to think about your child’s talking across every language. A three-year-old who chats in one language and says less in the other is a different picture from one who is having trouble in both. Our guide to a child who understands but answers in English covers the first of those.

What helps at three

ASHA’s suggestions for this age are small enough for an ordinary afternoon.³

• Add to what they say. Repeating your child’s words and adding a little more models the next step up.
• Choices rather than yes or no. “Boots or sandals?” asks for a word.
• Sorting and naming. Clothes, food and animals, put into groups, bring new words with them.
• Books, songs and finger games. The same ones, again and again, are fine.
• The language you are most comfortable in. ASHA says this will not stop a child learning English later.

When to ask

Whenever something worries you; no count is required. The CDC’s advice is to talk with your child’s doctor, share your concerns and ask about developmental screening.⁸ If your child loses words or other skills they once had, that is a reason to call promptly.² A hearing test is often part of the evaluation.⁴

At this age, the things that stand out are a child who is not yet using short phrases, is hard for even family to understand, or does not seem to follow what you say. ASHA reports that about fifty to seventy percent of two-year-olds who start late catch up with their peers by late preschool or school age.⁹ Those are group numbers, and a list at home cannot tell which children will. In the United States, a local public elementary school is the place to ask about an evaluation for a child three or older.⁸ Outside the U.S., your family doctor or child-health service is the place to start. Our late-talker guide walks through what happens next.

Words and phrases to talk about

Their First Words is flashcards for you and your child to talk over, from first words to everyday phrases. The Word Builder stage is for ages three to five, and the Phrases tab has 500+ everyday phrases in nine themes, across eight languages. Each card has a picture, the written word or phrase, and a female and a male native voice to copy. 75 words and 35 phrases are free. It is a prompt for you, not a teacher for your child; the talk that counts is the one you have together.