How Toddlers Say Words in a Funny Way

Updated on July 21, 2010
J.L. asks from Lowell, MA
59 answers

Hi Moms! I remember when my twins used to call their cousin Caroline "Line Line." It was so adorable, but it didn't last long. Now they're three and I'm missing the way they used to talk--can't even remember half the things they would say : (. I wonder if any of you can share some of the ways your toddlers/young children come out with words. (I'm thinking of eventually writing a parenting article on this subject, thought I would go to the MOM source!)

2 moms found this helpful

What can I do next?

  • Add yourAnswer own comment
  • Ask your own question Add Question
  • Join the Mamapedia community Mamapedia
  • as inappropriate
  • this with your friends

Featured Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.K.

answers from Washington DC on

My 2yo has lots of those kind of words. For example he says "jump-oline" instead of "trampoline" and "roller" instead of stroller. He corrects me when I say these words the right way. He says "no Mom, it's JUMP-oline" like, 'duh mom, you JUMP on it...hello?'. This is just what makes sense to him. Personally, I prefer his versions because they DO make sense in a way and they're so innocent.

Also, when my older son was this age, my favorite was that cemeteries were "stones with bones". I don't know why I thought that was so cute, but I did and I still do.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.V.

answers from Boston on

My daughter called Pork Chops "chop chops" - we all thought it was funny and to this day once a week we have "chop chop" night.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.A.

answers from Boston on

My granddaughter called a motorcycle a cyclebikle, wow never spelled that out, hated the day she stopped doing it and we never corrected her. Her dad drove a cyclebikle.

More Answers

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Denver on

I love how my 3 year old calls toilet paper - paper toilet.

1 mom found this helpful
Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.D.

answers from Boston on

I sure do miss the cute ways that my daughter used to say things.
Lipstick-yip yips
Chap stick- Lip chops
Bottle-Bobo
Spongebob- Pumbob pan pants-I used to make her say it untill she would say "Mama you know!!!!!"
Love you was ...Num nu:))
Just recently I said we need to get some lip chops(chap stick) She said...Whats that.....It broke my heart!!

1 mom found this helpful

C.T.

answers from Detroit on

i just took my 4yo to see despicable me but he says bebicable be!! lmao he's something else. and he knows i like to hear me say it!

T.M.

answers from Reading on

All three of my children call my younger sister who's name is Pauline, Beep-Beep! I love hearing them say, "YAY, Beep-beep is here!" or "Hey Beep...?"
My oldest used to call the dog instead of saying "Sugar COME" it was
"Shudde MOCK MOCK"
Unshine for Sunshine
Grills for girls
So many cute ones I could go on and on for hours. I wrote most of them down in their baby books so I don't forget them!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.F.

answers from Boston on

My favorites are/were:
music was "neeno" then "meemix"
mosquito = skebeedo
explore = skeblore
smoke detector = mokes dector
We eat "pasketti" and "hangaber."
A doctor uses a "stecasope" at the "hosipol."

And yes, we too mourn the passing of each word as it gets properly pronounced.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Boston on

Juice = Foof
Stuck = Tuck
Thank you = DiDi
Sock = Saw
Bottle = Baw
Dog = Daw

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Los Angeles on

Some of my favorites from my 21 month old:
Na-du = thank you
wahwah = Jasmine (our cat)
dirty ger = teddy bear

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

my 3 year old says "upslide down" instead of "upside down" and it's so cute I cant bring myself to correct her. She also has a slight English accent b/c her daycare provider is from London and I love it. :-)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.S.

answers from Portland on

when my daughter says flip flops, it sounds like she is swearing.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.J.

answers from Minneapolis on

I remember when my daughter first started talking and she learned the word sox's " Mommy I'm getting my sex's on" Of course I had to be talking on the phone with my in-laws when she screamed this out!!

K.J.

answers from Nashville on

My little sister (who is now 6) used to say some cute things, two that I still say even today:
chickens=cheek-ums
secret=seeker

My little girl is 16 months, so I am looking forward to these cute little words. The only one she has is when she tries to say meow, it sounds like she is saying nom nom (which we taught her to say when she eats). The first time she went to my mom's cat and said nom nom nom, I was confused until I realized she was trying to say meow meow meow. ^_^ She says it more clearly now, but it was very cute and funny at the time.

J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

My niece used to say sa-sa for pacifier, cozy-do for quesadila, and shu-ey for something that stunk or was dirty (like if you drop something on the ground). She also calls me by my last name which starts with a V but she always replaces it with a B. She's now 6 and still does it. I just can't bring myself to correct her because its sounds so cute. =) My daughter has only said a few wourds spread out, so far its blu-er for flower and itty for pretty. Great post, I love it when they start to talk and come up with names for things (BTW I still say shu-ey when my baby drops something on the ground...it stuck with me). =)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.P.

answers from New York on

I think the cutest one is my son's first 3 syllable word: Marshmallow. He says it MA da da.

A.G.

answers from Houston on

my first daughter called farts "booty toots'....lotion "hand shands" and when someone was being funny she called them "business detectives:" (still no idea why)

my second daughter (she not yet two), she calles her sister "teeter"....and ice cream "dymean"....candy "canny"

i just love this kind of speak, we still call farts "booty toots", even 5 years later!

and on the "kids say the darndest things" note, my daughter told me she did not want to take a shower with me because she didnt want to turn back into a baby and get sucked into my belly button, i asked her "why on earth she would think such a thing would happen" and she said "then whats a baby shower!"....she was 3

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.P.

answers from Boise on

My current favorite is Thank You - he has always said TooPee. Unfortunately, he is starting to say thanks and thank you now, but I least I got it on camera.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.H.

answers from Dallas on

My little one is 2 and will be three in October. It took her a while to get going with the talking thing, but she definately has it down now (with her own words)!
Lotion~ is ho-ho (someone got lotion from Santa)
Chocolate milk, candy, etc.~ choc choc
our newest edition is named Macey- she calls her Muffy
Soup~ goup
Horse~ heho
our dog is Ruger~ dodo
swim~ him him
Sonic~ onic
Pancakes~ peho
diaper for little sister~ diap diap
If I think of more I will post.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.H.

answers from Boston on

I see you have tons of answers- we have been writing our daughter's funny pronunciations phonetically all along. Some funny ones:
bathing suit is BABY SOUP and then BABY SUIT
motorcycle is MO-KY-KO
wash it is BOSH IT
can I come is MY HUM?
heavy is EBBY
hood is GUG -like in "sug"ar
Medicine is BEH-SIN

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.G.

answers from Los Angeles on

"to you" = stool
"oopies" = Oopsie
"waterLemon" = watermelon
most opening "T/D" sounds are replaced with "G"..."goggy" for doggy, "guck" for truck/duck, etc.
wudoo = love you
tahbeeyuh=strawberry
seeyah= silly (many ending "y" sounds become "yuh")
"pooter" = computer

Fun!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

My 2 y/o says "boo suit" for bathing suit. Too cute!

M.R.

answers from Rochester on

My 23 month old says "tee-too" or "tee-koo" for thank you, "Wecome" for "you're welcome," and used to say "pwease" for "please." (He named his blankie that he sleeps with Please because that was the first thing he used to say when he wanted it.)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.A.

answers from San Francisco on

This is so much fun! My 2.5 year old daughter says "cake-cup" for cupcake. When she was first learning how to talk: cereal was "chuchi," strawberries were "padji" and blanket was "pitchie" (it was actually "bitchy" but I changed it for obvious reasons.) I still use her words for these things just because it's so cute.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

B.B.

answers from Missoula on

My son (2 1/2) says "pockledoo" for popsicle and "mocka-o-wee" for guacamole. He also adds an "h" to the beginnings of some words that begin with vowels, so that he says "hoven, hoctopus and hipod" instead of "oven, octopus and ipod." He has outgrown this one, but he used to say "shif" when he meant "fish". That was probably my favorite.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.3.

answers from Providence on

My youngest is 4 (and I too quickly forgot) these are the only ones that came to mind:
Ballerina was "lala-ina"
Telephone was "hello phone"
Spaghetti was "pasketti"
Julia was "Lulia"
Nikita (cousins name) was "Keeta"
Sister was "Sita"
Brother was "bruta"
Hot dog was "hu dug"
Watermelon was "walamelon"
Kitty was "titty"

She also made her own word
Pretty-full (pretty + beautiful) which I thought was the cutest thing ever.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.H.

answers from Huntsville on

My daughter always seemed to do pretty well with pronunciation. She's 4 now, so I'm sure I've already forgotten a lot of stuff too :( She still has trouble with "th" like "thirty" is always "firty" LOL and "yellow" was "lellow" :)

One funny mispronunciation was squirrel. Somehow for her it used to come out as "queer" LOL poor kid!

My nephew is almost 2. He says "peas" for "please" :) He also seems to say "da" or "da da" for a lot of stuff haha He's hard to figure out :)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.D.

answers from Burlington on

My daughter used to ask if we were going to You Nork today (New York)... too cute!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.M.

answers from Boston on

A friend encouraged us to do a journal specifically to capture all of these cute nuances of their blossoming speech and funny things they do. It's been a godsend to have it to look back on, and we'll give it to her when she's older.

Some of our favorites are moochie (milk), foonie (smoothie), our neighbor Ashley is called LASHEY, and many others.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.H.

answers from Chicago on

So many cute ones. Here are some from my son:

spaghettios - sgapettios
carry me - carrya me
new diaper - freshy

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

E.O.

answers from Boston on

My 20 month old:
Auntie: Ti Ti
Truck: Ruck
Dog: woof
Plane: wayne
Bottle: Bubba
Thank you: tank tou
Let's Go: Whet's go

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.M.

answers from Bangor on

There are tons. We live in Québec, so lots are french or "franglais"

s'il te plait (please) became poo-poo play
violet (purple) is doo-let
beep-bop is a word she made up for vehicles with sirens and blinking lights
la-la is a word she made up for music - also la-la-danse
dee-veed for TV
playpark (one word) for playgrounds, parks

have fun!
A.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.B.

answers from Chicago on

My son was probably 3 when couldn't remember to use the word 'yesterday' so everything was 'last morning' and now my 2 year old says the same thing.
My brother couldn't say 'jessica', he called her 'cha cha'.
Myself, I could never say 'pancake'. I had to add an extra letter and still do it, 'pan-a-cake'. Even my 5 yr old is correcting me.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

S.C.

answers from Chicago on

Oh, I LOVE toddler words.

My favorites from my little boy:

Yellow - localola
Flush the toilet - sha da toto
Eight - ups (One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, ups, nine, ten)
Guitar - bah bah

I think it's funny to read these other respones -- I'm glad I'm not the only one that sighs nostalgically when the "real" word pops out. He can say guitar just fine now, but we still call it the Bah Bah. =)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

In stead of cupboard, my son called them "covereds". Also he was really big on WOOK! (Look) Also once he called my neighbor's futon a crouton!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.J.

answers from Killeen on

My 4 yr old has an amazing vocabulary, but is about on track for pronunciation, which makes for a funny combination b/c she tries to say these big words and knows what they mean, but can't quite pronounce them right =) One of my new favorites is she says "connection" for "collection" LOL and up until recently, she would call my older daughter "Uh-ni-bef" for Elizabeth
Generally, she uses an N sound to replace Gs (green is "deen"), can't pronounce Ls at all (usually replaces Ls with Ns or Ws). Oh, and Ks are iffy...kitty cat is "titty tat" LOL
That's all I can think of right now...she and her sister are at grandma's house right now and I miss them oh so terribly!

L.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

My little boy has a little bit of trouble pronouncing the "sm" sound, and it comes out sounding a little more like an "f." So his favorite candy, Smarties, becomes "Farties!" I still laugh when he says it... :) And as much as I want him speaking correctly, I'll be sad when he can say Smarties...

K.I.

answers from Spokane on

Ahhh, this is one of my favorite things to remember as well...

Popcorn=Papcorn
Backpack=Packpack
Handy-Dandy Notebook=Hamby-damby (Blue's Clues)
Blockbusters=blackbusters
Wendy's=Cindy's
Ridiculous=Re-dik-i-ick-a-lous
Milkshake=Milkshape
Dylan=Bob-bob...we sometimes call him dilly-bob..
Jake=Geek
Sports=forts
Prefontaine=Pre-2-fun-tain (he was a runner from oregon, there is a movie about him and Nike) anyway it used to be my 4 yr old nephews favorite movie- he was a weird kid! "Auntie, watch me run fast like pre2funtain"! Hilarious!

This one is not so much how he said it but his word choice, which is also funny to remember how they go about connecting words: If no one is listening to him my oldest son still says "They gave me No respect"...and he is 6!

My 4 yr old has taught himself how to whistle (well sort of) it is a VERY high pitched noise that sounds something like "bull-WHIP"...it's the best thing I have ever heard and makes me laugh so hard!

Also, I sing my boys a John Lennon song "Beautiful Boy" all the time...the chorus is "Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.....beautiful Boy! Last Christmas after we were done putting up the tree my littlest son sang..."Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful...beautiful Tree!" Broke my heart!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

Y.D.

answers from Dallas on

My favorite was rara-io for radio. And reforgot for forgot.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

H.T.

answers from Hartford on

My 28 month old daughter has an extensive vocabulary skills and usually does very well with pronunciation, but no matter how many times we correct her it is always bathing soup instead of bathing suit. It is so bad that I have caught myself saying it!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

N.H.

answers from San Francisco on

Aaahh, it's just going to break my heart when my son stops saying
matoes - tomatoes

pood -(for all kinds of food including breast milk. He's recently begun to scream, "want some pood!", as I try to wean him.

Bess you for not just sneezes but coughs.

And when we sing Old McDonald, his farm also includes Cookie Mouses which say, num, num, squeak, squeak and ickens which gobble mostly but sometimes woof.

When he's not screaming, "MINE" at the top of his lungs - I love two year olds!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.D.

answers from Dallas on

My daughter says "minint" for minute or baff for bath....thats all I can think of now. I know that the most frequent toddler words replace "th" with "ff" and "L" words with "w". Its very cute.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.S.

answers from Boston on

My daughter said "vitey-ims" for vitamins -- now that she's 4 1/2 and could say it properly, I don't correct her because it's so cute! (Bad mommy!)

A.M.

answers from Kansas City on

my three and a half year old niece had a speech delay - she saw a therapist and is doing SO great now and chatters on like a pro, but occasionally her own particular speech patterns come out, and sometimes they're quite funny, especially when she does so well most of the time, you forget that she had a little trouble at first. on 4th of july the whole family were gathered at my moms, and my son and my niece were playing and suddenly she yelled, "mommy adan forgot to shut the DER!!" it was hysterical...we felt bad for laughing bit it was the cutest thing!

my son has also been a great talker from early on, but he still says "mer-cycle" for motorcycle, and sometimes he slips and says "are we going to eat at that astronaut mommy"....which i think is pretty darn cute. he only still does it because i couldn't bring myself to correct him for the longest time lol...

when i was little i called my aunt linda "la-la"...they all swear it was adorable too lol.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

M.K.

answers from Houston on

hairphunt- elephant
leabop - lollipop
goggie-doggie
babygucks- ducklings

there are millions more but for some reason I can't think of them, I have a 2 yo who says the funniest sweetest things!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

L.H.

answers from Boston on

Every morning my twins love pancakes and syrup for breakfast and it's "pee-keys and sur-bop"
also I love how they call toilet paper "paper-toilet".

K.B.

answers from Milwaukee on

my son used to call marshmellows- marshpillows. i wrote down alot of his words but that was one of my favorites

C.V.

answers from Cleveland on

I love the way they talk!!
My mom gave me a great tip when my son first started talking...she said "Write down all the amazing words he says and how he says them, because later in life you'll wish you could remember those times."
So thats what i've been doin.

My favorites from my son, who is just about to turn 2:

Caterpillar = duga-duga?
Hippopotamus = mur-ga-lagurla ?

Dinosaur = Dar
blue= boo
green = geen
etc

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

wehmesee - Let me see
butar - guitar
batin - bacon
streech your musicals - stretch your muscles

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.F.

answers from Boston on

my favorite when my son was small was waterlemon instead of watermelon

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.C.

answers from Philadelphia on

Right around the time my son was 2, he couldn't pronounce the "tr" sound. Instead he used "f" for some reason. There's nothing quite as fun as hearing your 2 yr old shout out "Wook, MAMA! A BIG YEWWOW FvCK!" or opening his birthday presents "FvCK!! MORE FvCK!! RED FvCK!! GREEN FvCK!!!" Good times...

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.C.

answers from Boston on

The best is my boy called dogs "wah-wah's" cuz they go wah - wah, wah - wah, wah - wah !! ;-) Now he calls them doggies and puppies and I call them "wah - wahs" and the great thing is that it still works as if it is just part of our normal vocabulary.

Otherwise, he says everything beautifully since he was 1 years old. Sorry , but he is way more advanced than your child is. Maybe cuz he has English blood and his mother has a PhD in bioscience, but I have noticed that he is more advanced with reading and vocabulary than kids twice his age. :-)

When he was one - 'helicopter' was 'helibubba'. But that only lasted 2 or 3 months.

He is so witty and funny and eloquently spoken, that I think his IQ will be 150 +. At 3 years of age, he already can talk with 5 year olds on their own terms as if he were 5. It is incredible.

When he just turned 3, I give him a new long word, such as 'security' and he will repeat it back to me perectly and what a joy to hear him speak. So clear and concise. It is the strong first generation English genes, IMO.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.R.

answers from New York on

my 2.5 yr old stepson says man-o-sickle for motorcycle. i find it the cutest thing ever
also
elephant -ayphant
pizza - petza
where are you?? - are yeee (he doesn't do that one anymore)

he is also fully capable of counting and has on his own go past 30, correctly. however when he wants to tell us there is a lot of something he says "2 (blanks)... 3,4,5,9,10 (blanks)!!!!!!!"

he has an astronaut shirt and i didn't know what he was talking about at first one day because it sounded like "awesome man:...so now i know 'awesome man" means astronaut
my best friends daughter used to be able to say yellow, yes, but not yesterday. she would say nesterday.

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

C.P.

answers from Albuquerque on

Aww! What a sweet question (and responses)! My girl is 19 months and babbles non-stop! I'm getting good at figuring out what she's trying to say, but I still have to translate for everyone else. I do keep a journal, so I write down her new words and especially the funny ones. Let's see what I can think of...
My favorite is: Our cat's name is Nabi ("noh" like novice and "be" like bee) but she says "Nami" so cute--and the cat responds to it!
She love to point out vehicles:
Cah = car
Tuck = truck
ono-ickle ("oh-no" and -icle like popscicle) = motorcycle
ickle = bike/bicycle
then there are the usuals:
titty = kitty
eww = bug
uh-uh = no (she learned "uh-uh" months before she ever said "no")
dOWN! =down (she says it all dramatic, like "put me DOWN" with a deep man voice)
roni = macaroni
noo-noo = noodle/macaroni
eees = cheese
uh-suh = outside
agua = water (not sure if she learned agua at school--bilingual lessons, or if it's just her way of pronouncing water...)
bimi = binky or blankie

Thanks for asking, that was fun! (and made me smile)

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

A.B.

answers from New York on

Helihopter(helicopter) frightenen(fire engine) I am TRONG (strong) still says at 7-up slide down and up slid up (upside down and right side up). My sis name is Noela he calls her walala. nitnaws(sneakers), those were the good old days.

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

My son had some that were so cute (to me)
Christmas = Miss miss
Thumb = Fum
Milk = Mook
He put together Cute + Beautiful = Cutieful
He couldn't quite say toes, but it came out somewhere between toes and toss.
We were watching an old black and white western one time and the posse was chasing the bad guys on horseback. My son's eyes were glued to the set and he got all excited, pointed at the TV and said "Horsies running! Horsies running fast!"

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

R.B.

answers from Boston on

My son is almost 3 and he has one that I hope he keeps FOREVER. It took a few days to figure out. He says "key-woo" when he want to be picked up. I finally figured it came from my saying "carry you?" Goodness, it was a relief when I figured that one out!!!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

K.M.

answers from Kansas City on

When my son was a toddler, he would call sunscreen "sun scream". I miss those days!

Smallavatar-fefd015f3e6a23a79637b7ec8e9ddaa6

J.M.

answers from Boston on

My son, now 2.5 just said tonight "I can say hamburger the right way now!" and I said "don't you want to say hangabur just a little longer?" He doesn't say "breakfast" as "breftkist" anymore either.

My absolute favorite though was that my daughter used to call Piglet (from Winnie the Pooh) Plig-it. So cute!

For Updates and Special Promotions
Follow Us

Related Questions