Toddler word list: 180+ everyday English words, with Spanish and a simple way to track them

Here’s a toddler word list you can actually use at home: more than 180 everyday English words and little phrases, grouped by theme, with the Spanish next to each one. Pick five to eight words that fit your child’s day, use them in real moments and, once a week, give each word one of four marks: New, Repeat more, Understands or Can say.

It’s a home notebook, not a test. Your child doesn’t need to know every word on this page, and there’s no right order. The marks simply help you see, week by week, which words are growing and which ones need a little more time.

If you only want a short toddler first words list to begin with, our first English words for toddlers has a small starter set. This page is the big one, for when you’re ready to go further and keep track along the way.

How to use this toddler word list

Think of this toddler vocabulary list as a pantry. You don’t cook everything at once. You take out what you need today and leave the rest on the shelf until it’s time.

• Start with your child’s real life. The best first words for toddlers to learn are the ones they see, touch and eat every day: their cup, their shoes, the dog next door, grandma.
• Keep a small handful going. Five to eight active words at a time is plenty. Add new ones only when some of the old ones feel easy.
• Use real moments. Say “cup” at breakfast, “towel” after the bath, “shoes” by the door. The thing in your hand explains the word better than any picture.
• Say it three ways. Name it, use it in a short sentence, name it again: “Shoes. Let’s put on your shoes. Shoes!”
• Keep your home language. The Spanish is there to help you match each word. Use the word your family uses, “plátano” or “banana,” “carro” or “coche.” This page uses common Latin American Spanish.

If you’ve already worked through our 100 first words in English and Spanish, you’ll recognize some old friends here. This list goes wider, with more themes and a way to follow each word over the weeks.

Where to start at 2, 3 and 4

These are loose starting points, and your child’s favorite things matter more than their age. Many 2-year-olds enjoy people, food, animal and body words, because those things are right in front of them. At 3, action words and describing words make play richer: “run fast,” “big ball.” At 4, opposites, colors and little phrases for preschool often feel like fun games.

The four marks: new, repeat more, understands, can say

Each word on your list gets one of four marks. They describe what you notice in everyday life, not what your child does when you test them.

Many children understand a word long before they say it. A word can sit at Understands for weeks, and that’s good news: it’s growing quietly.

Marks can also move backward. After a trip, a cold or a busy week, a Can say word might go quiet for a while. Just move it back to Repeat more and keep going. No drama needed.

People and family words

People words matter to toddlers because they name the people they love most. Use the word together with the person: “Grandma! Here’s Grandma. Hi, Grandma!”

• mommy · mamá
• daddy · papá
• baby · bebé
• grandma · abuela
• grandpa · abuelo
• brother · hermano
• sister · hermana
• aunt · tía
• uncle · tío
• cousin · primo, prima
• friend · amigo, amiga
• teacher · maestra, maestro
• boy · niño
• girl · niña
• me · yo
• you · tú

Family photos help a lot. Scroll through pictures together and name everyone: “Who’s that? That’s your uncle!” “Me” and “you” are perfect for turn-taking games: “Me! Now you!”

Animal words

Animal words are easy to act out, so your child can play along before they say a single name. Hop like a bunny, waddle like a duck and name the animal as you go: “I’m a frog! Hop, hop, frog!”

• dog · perro
• cat · gato
• fish · pez
• bird · pájaro
• duck · pato
• cow · vaca
• pig · cerdo, cochinito
• horse · caballo
• sheep · oveja
• chicken · gallina
• bunny · conejito
• frog · rana
• bear · oso
• lion · león
• monkey · mono
• elephant · elefante
• butterfly · mariposa
• bee · abeja
• turtle · tortuga
• octopus · pulpo

A fun detail for bilingual families: in Spanish a fish in the water is “pez,” but on a plate it becomes “pescado.” English keeps “fish” for both. For animal sounds, games and many more animals, see our guide to animal names for toddlers.

Food and drinks

Food words are some of the most useful toddler vocabulary words, because your child really wants the food. Every meal and every snack is a little lesson that happens on its own.

• water · agua
• milk · leche
• juice · jugo
• apple · manzana
• banana · plátano, banana
• orange · naranja
• grapes · uvas
• strawberry · fresa
• watermelon · sandía
• bread · pan
• rice · arroz
• beans · frijoles
• egg · huevo
• cheese · queso
• tortilla · tortilla
• soup · sopa
• noodles · fideos
• carrot · zanahoria
• corn · maíz, elote
• avocado · aguacate
• yogurt · yogur
• cookie · galleta
• cracker · galleta salada
• ice cream · helado

Try a pretend picnic on a towel, with real snacks or toy food. You serve first: “Cheese? Here’s your cheese!” Then your child serves you, and you order in English: “Grapes, please!” A word that gets a snack is a word worth learning.

Some food words are easy wins because they sound almost the same in both languages: “tortilla,” “banana,” “yogurt” and “yogur.” Start with those if your child likes a quick success.

Body and clothes

Body words are easy to practice because your child always has them along. Clothes words come up every morning and every night, so they get lots of natural repeats.

Body

• head · cabeza
• hair · pelo
• face · cara
• eyes · ojos
• ears · orejas
• nose · nariz
• mouth · boca
• teeth · dientes
• hand · mano
• fingers · dedos
• arm · brazo
• leg · pierna
• foot · pie
• toes · dedos de los pies
• tummy · pancita, panza
• knee · rodilla

Clothes

• shirt · camisa, playera
• pants · pantalón
• shorts · shorts
• dress · vestido
• socks · calcetines
• shoes · zapatos
• boots · botas
• hat · gorro
• jacket · chamarra, chaqueta
• pajamas · pijama
• diaper · pañal
• backpack · mochila

Laundry is a clothes lesson that comes with a basket. As you fold, hold up one thing at a time and name it: “Pants. Daddy’s pants!” Then ask your child to bring you the next piece: “Can you find a shirt?” Mixing up whose clothes are whose is half the fun.

Around the house and outside

Home words fill every routine: meals, bath, bedtime and cleaning up. Outside words come out on walks, at the park and in the car.

In the house

• house · casa
• door · puerta
• window · ventana
• bed · cama
• blanket · cobija
• pillow · almohada
• chair · silla
• table · mesa
• cup · vaso
• spoon · cuchara
• plate · plato
• bowl · tazón
• bath · baño
• towel · toalla
• soap · jabón
• toothbrush · cepillo de dientes
• potty · bacinica
• light · luz
• ball · pelota
• book · libro
• toy · juguete
• teddy bear · osito de peluche

Outside

• park · parque
• tree · árbol
• flower · flor
• sun · sol
• moon · luna
• rain · lluvia
• car · carro, coche
• bus · autobús
• truck · camión
• bike · bicicleta
• swing · columpio
• slide · resbaladilla, tobogán

Pick one routine and its words for a week. Bath time: “bath,” “soap,” “towel.” Bedtime: “bed,” “pillow,” “blanket,” “light,” “book.” A word your child hears at the same time every day has a much easier job. For short lines to go with each part of the day, see our daily routine in English for kids.

Action words

Action words let your child say what they want to do, not just what they see. They’re easiest to learn while your bodies are moving.

• eat · comer
• drink · tomar
• sleep · dormir
• wake up · despertarse
• sit · sentarse
• stand up · pararse
• walk · caminar
• run · correr
• jump · saltar, brincar
• dance · bailar
• sing · cantar
• play · jugar
• wash · lavar
• open · abrir
• close · cerrar
• push · empujar
• throw · tirar, lanzar
• catch · atrapar
• give · dar
• look · mirar
• help · ayudar
• hug · abrazar

Do the action while you say it: jump on “jump,” sit on “sit.” Then play “copy me” across the living room: “Walk! Run! Stop! Dance!” For more ways to grow words through play, see how to teach vocabulary to toddlers.

Describing words and opposites

Describing words turn one word into a whole picture: “big dog,” “hot soup,” “wet socks.” Opposites are easiest in pairs, because each word helps explain the other.

• big · grande / little · chiquito
• hot · caliente / cold · frío
• up · arriba / down · abajo
• in · adentro / out · afuera
• wet · mojado / dry · seco
• clean · limpio / dirty · sucio
• fast · rápido / slow · lento
• happy · feliz / sad · triste
• loud · fuerte / quiet · bajito
• full · lleno / empty · vacío
• red · rojo
• blue · azul
• yellow · amarillo
• green · verde

Show each pair with real things: a big spoon and a little spoon, a wet towel and a dry towel, a full cup and an empty one. Colors are easiest one at a time. Try a red week: “red cup,” “red car,” “red apple.” Then a blue week.

Little words and everyday phrases

Some of the handiest entries on any kids vocabulary list are tiny words and phrases that get your child help, a turn or a hug the moment they say them.

• hello · hola
• bye-bye · adiós
• yes · sí
• no · no
• please · por favor
• thank you · gracias
• more, please · más, por favor
• all done · ya terminé
• uh-oh · uy
• my turn · me toca
• help, please · ayuda, por favor
• let’s go · vámonos
• where is it? · dónde está?
• I love you · te quiero

Toddlers often pick these up as one chunk, and that’s perfect. “All done” works long before your child knows it’s two words, so track each phrase as one item. For many more, see our list of English phrases for toddlers.

How to track the list week by week

Here’s a simple rhythm that takes a few minutes a week and fits around real life.

1. Set up your page. Print this page or copy one theme into a notebook. Next to each word, draw four narrow columns, one for each week. Use letters to keep it quick: N for New, R for Repeat more, U for Understands, S for Can say (think “says it”).
2. Week 1: choose your handful. Pick five to eight words from one or two themes your child meets every day. If your child already knows some words on the page, mark them U or S right away, so your handful can go to words that are still new.
3. During the week: just talk. Use your handful in real moments, many times a day. No quizzing, no drills. You’re only noticing.
4. Once a week: two minutes with the marks. Choose the same day every week, Sunday evening for example. Think back. Did your child bring the towel when you asked? Did they say “agua” or “water” at lunch? Mark what you saw, not what you hoped for.
5. Refresh the handful. Words marked Repeat more stay at the top of next week’s handful. Words marked Understands get a pause game: “Here’s your…” and wait. Can say words leave the handful but stay in your everyday talk. Words you haven’t started yet wait their turn and join when there’s room.
6. After four weeks: look back. Flip through the page and notice how many marks have moved. Pick the next theme, or keep going with this one if your child is enjoying it.

Here’s how one notebook page might look after a month:

Every word moves at its own speed. “Cup” was easy because it shows up at every meal. “Towel” needed a lot more bath times. “Shoes” has been at Understands for three weeks, which simply means your child knows it well and may say it soon. None of this is a race. It’s just a picture of your month together.

Small signs it’s working

• You say a word from your handful, and your child’s eyes go straight to the thing.
• They bring you things you name, or point before you do.
• They use a word on purpose, even in a little-kid way, like “wawa” for water.
• They know the English and the Spanish for the same thing.
• They correct you in a game: “No! Blue!”

Common mistakes (and what to do instead)

• Teaching the list in order. It’s grouped by theme, not by difficulty. Follow your child’s day and interests instead.
• Turning marks into a quiz. “Say banana! Say it!” makes words feel like a test. Mark what you notice in everyday moments.
• Too many words at once. Twenty active words get lost. Five to eight get used again and again.
• Comparing pages. Your page is about your child, not about anyone else’s. If you ever have a worry about how your child’s talking is coming along, in any language, talk to your pediatrician.
• Leaving Spanish out. If your child says “perro” for dog, that’s a real word. Write it down too.

Questions parents ask

Where should we start on the word list?

Start with words your child meets every day: the people they love, the foods they eat, their body, their cup and their shoes. Pick five to eight from one or two themes. If your child has a big favorite, like trucks or bunnies, start there.

Is this word list a test of my child’s development?

No. It’s a home notebook to help you choose words and notice progress. Every child learns at their own pace, and a word your child doesn’t say yet may already be understood. If something about your child’s talking worries you, in either language, your pediatrician is the right person to ask.

How often should I update the marks?

Once a week is plenty. Two minutes on the same day each week keeps it easy, and a full week gives every word enough real moments to show you something.

Can I use the list in Spanish too?

Yes. Add a second set of marks for Spanish, or simply note when your child says the Spanish word. Words in both languages count. Many bilingual children know some words in one language and other words in the other, and that’s perfectly normal.

What should I do with words my child already knows?

Mark them Understands or Can say right away and keep using them every day. Then build on them with a second word: “more milk,” “big dog,” “red car.” Known words are the bridge to your child’s first little phrases.

A toddler word list works best as a friendly helper on the fridge, not a checklist to finish. Pick a handful of words, use them in real moments and let the marks catch every small step forward. If you’d like five quiet minutes of spoken English to go with your notebook, sit down together with a Tatako lesson. The octopus will be there, waving all eight arms hello.