Language Development in Boys

Boys start talking later than girls, but they do catch up.

Every child develops at his or her own pace, but there are common milestones parents can look for in language acquisition. Boys may develop language slightly slower than girls, but by the time they start school the difference is negligible.

Birth to 2

By 18 months, a little boy might have a vocabulary of 30 to 40 words. By age 2, most can string together simple two-word sentences, and will also recognize words for familiar objects and people's names. They may also repeat words they hear. Boys at this age tend to use more non-verbal sounds, such as animal or car noises, than girls do.

3 to 4

Between ages three and four, boys will learn to follow more complex directions and begin to use pronouns and plurals correctly. He can likely follow along with stories read aloud, and strangers can understand most of his speech. Boys are more likely than girls to apply language rules, such as adding "-ed" to form past tense; girls may be more likely to recognize rhymes and patterns.

Starting School

By the time he starts kindergarten, the average boy can speak in complex sentences of more than five words, tell longer and more coherent stories, and use past and future tense. Most 5-year-old boys and girls know about 5,000 words and recognize some letters and numbers.

References

• NIDCD: Speech and Language Development Milestones
• National Network for Child Care: Developmental Milestones
• Parenting.com: Speech Delays

Resources

• National Network for Childcare: Language Resources
• American Speech-Language-Hearing Association: How Does Your Child Hear and Talk?