What is a baby’s first word?

What the evidence says

There isn't one word that all babies say first. Every baby's brain and environment are a little different, so their first real word depends on what sounds they can make and what words they hear most often.

That said, most babies say their first true word around their first birthday, though the range is wide. Before that, they build up to it with cooing, babbling like 'bababa,' and copying sounds and mouth movements.

Because 'mama' and 'dada' use easy sounds babies can make early, like the 'm', 'b', and 'd' sounds, these often come out first, sometimes even by accident. Once a parent gets excited about hearing it, the baby learns the sound means something and starts using it on purpose.

A 'word,' for a baby, doesn't have to be a real English word. It just has to be a sound the baby uses the same way every time to mean the same thing, like saying 'ba' every time they want their bottle.

There's a big range in when babies start talking, and hearing a mix of speaking, singing, and back-and-forth conversation with your baby helps build the language skills behind that first word, whenever it arrives.