Spanish vocabulary list for toddlers: the first 50 words

How we chose these 50 words

A toddler's first words in any language are about their world: the people they love, the food they eat, the animals they point at and the things they want more of. The list below follows the same logic. Every word is something a 2- to 4-year-old can use in daily life, and many of them show up in our first Spanish song units on greetings, numbers, colors, animals, family, the body and food.

A few notes before you start:

• Articles matter. Spanish nouns are masculine (el) or feminine (la). We list each noun with its article so your child learns them as a pair, el perro, la vaca, the way native speakers hear them.
• Pronunciation is approximate. The "say it like" column uses English sounds as a rough guide. Capital letters show the stressed syllable. Spanish r is tapped, rr (and an r at the start of a word) is rolled, and b and v sound almost the same.
• Spain vs Latin America. In most of Spain, z and c before e or i sound like English "th" (so cinco sounds like "THEEN-koh"). In Latin America they sound like "s". Both are correct; we show the "s" version.

Greetings and manners (8 words)

These are the words you'll use most, so start here. Say buenos días every morning and buenas noches every night, and use por favor and gracias at every meal.

Family (7 words)

The h in hermano is silent. Family photos are perfect for practising these: point and name.

Animals (8 words)

Animal sounds make these extra fun. In Spanish a dog says guau, a cat says miau, and a duck says cuac. Toddlers love comparing them with the English sounds.

Colors (6 words)

Spanish colors usually come after the noun and change ending to match it: el coche rojo (the red car), la manzana roja (the red apple). Toddlers don't need to know this rule; they'll absorb it by hearing both forms.

Numbers 1–5 (5 words)

Count everything: stairs, grapes, toes, toy cars. Once five feels easy, keep going to ten: seis, siete, ocho, nueve, diez.

Food and drink (7 words)

Agua is a feminine word that takes el in the singular for sound reasons, so el agua is correct. In some Latin American countries a banana is la banana or el banano; el plátano is widely understood.

Body parts (6 words)

The Spanish j (as in ojos) is a breathy sound, a bit like a strong English "h". Bath time and getting dressed are perfect moments for body words.

Action words (3 words)

These three are workhorses. ¿Más? at snack time, ¡mira! when you spot something interesting, ven when it's time to go. They turn single words into tiny conversations.

How to teach these words

Fifty words is a lot to learn at once, and that isn't the goal. Spread them over two or three months.

1. Pick 5–8 words a week, ideally from one theme. Greetings first is a good choice.
2. Use them in routines. Food words at meals, body words at bath time, colors while getting dressed. See daily routines that build a second language.
3. Sing them. Songs repeat words in a memorable way, and toddlers ask for the same song again and again. Our first Spanish units cover greetings, numbers, colors, animals and family.
4. Show, don't translate. Hold up the apple and say la manzana. Point at the dog and say el perro. The object explains the word.
5. Keep old words going. Each week, add new words but keep using last week's. Repetition over time is what makes words stick.
6. Celebrate attempts. If your toddler says "pe-o" for perro, that counts. Repeat the word back correctly and warmly, without correcting them.

Games that use the list

• Animal sounds: "What does el gato say?" "Miau!"
• Color hunt: "Find something rojo!"
• Touch your...: "Toca la nariz" (touch your nose).
• More or done: at snack time, offer ¿más? and wait for a sí or no.
• Counting stairs: uno, dos, tres... every time you climb them.

For more, see car-ride language games.

What to expect

Toddlers understand far more than they say. Your child may happily fetch los zapatos or point to la vaca weeks before saying the words themselves. When words do come out, they'll often be partial or mixed into English: "more leche!" That's a normal and encouraging sign.

If you don't speak Spanish yourself, read our guide on how to teach your child Spanish when you don't speak it. And if you'd like these words set to music, our Spanish songs for kids start with a free unit of 6 greeting songs.