After careful analysis of tests taken by one million respondents via social media, the results showed that U.S. native English speakers would have acquired a vocabulary of 42,000 words at age 20 and about 48,000 words by age 60.
Notice that the average number of words known by a 22-year-old (17,200), as estimated by Goulden et al.
However, studies have suggested that an adult speaking in their native language has a vocabulary of around 20,000 words. Additionally, a study conducted by researchers at Harvard University found that college-aged adults between the ages of 18 and 22 had an average vocabulary of more than 50,000 words.
At age one, children recognize about 50 words; by age three, they recognize about 1,000 words; and by age five, they recognize at least 10,000 words (Shipley & McAfee, 2015).
In English, for example, the average native speaker knows about 20,000 words. That goes up to 40,000 words when we're talking about college-educated people.
According to a recently conducted study by The Economist, most adult native speakers of the English language, who took their vocabulary test, have a range from 20,000 to 35,000 words. The average of native test-takers of the age 8 was 10,000 words and 4-year-olds have already a considerate amount of 5,000 words.
10000 words allow you to understand about 99% of most texts. If your goal is to attend a University, or to communicate in a professional business environment, this is the goal you need to set for yourself.
Most adult native test-takers have a vocabulary range of about 20,000-35,000 words. Adult native test-takers learn almost 1 new word a day until middle age. Vocabulary growth stops at middle age.
Remember that the milestones on speech-language tests are based on when 90% of all children have mastered the skill. This means the majority of toddlers, usually 90%, are using 50 different words by 24 months.
While a non-gifted child may have a vocabulary of 150 to 300 words at age 2, gifted children may have surpassed the 100-word mark by the time they are 18 months old.
Notice how quickly vocabulary grows over the first six years of life. 1 to 1 ½ Toddlers develop around a 20-word vocabulary during this time. 2 By the time a child is 2 years old, he/she will have a 200–300-word vocabulary. 3 Vocabulary grows to be about 900–1,000 words by the time a child is 3 years old.
It is true that boys produce their first words and sentences later than girls. However, these differences are only in terms of a matter of a few months. There is a normal range within which children acquire certain language milestones.
One expert says the average native English speaker who is a high school graduate knows at around 30,000 words.
18-month to 2-year-old toddlers
Understand 200 to 500 words. Follow simple directions. Speak up to 50 words. Begin to make two- or three-word sentences.
Between the ages of 2 and 3, most children: Speak in two- and three-word phrases or sentences. Use at least 200 words and as many as 1,000 words.
By age 3, a toddler's vocabulary usually is more than 200 words.
This transition has often been referred to as the “vocabulary spurt” or “vocabulary burst,” which usually occurs between 18 and 24 months of age (Bates & Goodman, 2001; Fenson et al., 1994; Fernald, Pinto, Swingley, Weinberg, & McRoberts, 1998; Goldfield & Reznick, 1990; Kauschke & Hofmeister, 2002).
Animal Sounds:
“Woof!” “Moo!” These all count as words! You may find that these are some of the first sounds/words you hear from your little one! They are easy and fun for your child to imitate!
The CDC now says that children should know 50 words by 30 months of age. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), however, says fewer than 50 words at 24 months could be a cause for concern.
Although it's more difficult for learners over the age of 18 to nail a new language's grammar and accent, adults are still good at learning new languages. In fact, there are some benefits to learning a new language later in life.
Many people believe that you lose the ability to learn new languages as you get older. Language experts, however, will tell you that you're never too old to learn a new language. As you get older, it can be more difficult to learn a new language, though. Children and adults learn new languages in different ways.
In 1986 McCrum et al. said this to a Public Broadcasting System audience of millions: Shakespeare had one of the largest vocabularies of any English writer, some 30,000 words. (Estimates of an educated person's vocabulary today vary, but it is probably about half this, 15,000)' (2002 [1986], 102).
When you reach C1, you should have a working vocabulary of about 8000 words – almost double that of B2! It takes approximately 700-800 hours with the language to pass the C1 Cambridge examination.
Some linguists believe that 800 words are enough to hold a basic conversation. However, your vocabulary should be over 8,000 words if you want to speak a language as well as a native speaker.
1,000 words is actually a relatively short piece. A dissertation would usually be in the region of 12,000 words, and university assignments can stretch to essays of 5,000 words.