how old are babies when they start talking

Babies typically start talking by saying their first words between 9 and 12 months of age. Talking usually begins to emerge clearly between 12 and 18 months, when most babies can say simple words like "mama" or "dada." By 18 months, many toddlers can say 10 to 20 words and might start combining two- word phrases like "more juice" or "go bye-bye." Before talking, babies go through developmental stages such as cooing at around 6 to 8 weeks, babbling by about 6 months, and more intentional sounds by 9 months. While speech starts around one year, babies understand much more language than they can express at this stage.