What Are Core Words? AAC Core Vocabulary Explained

If you have spent any time around AAC or speech therapy, you have heard the phrase core words. It sounds technical, but the idea is simple, and it is one of the most useful things a parent can understand.

Core words are the small set of high-frequency words that make up the bulk of everything we say. Get these right, and your child can communicate an enormous amount with a handful of buttons.

A core word communication board on a tablet

What Are Core Words?

Core words are versatile, high-frequency words like more, stop, go, want, help, I, you, it, and that. They are not tied to one topic. The word more works for more food, more tickles, more bubbles, or more time. A surprisingly small set, roughly 200 to 400 words, makes up about 80% of everything we say in everyday conversation.

Core vs Fringe Vocabulary

The opposite of core is fringe vocabulary: specific nouns like dinosaur, banana, or trampoline. Fringe words matter, because they carry meaning and motivation, but each one is only useful in a narrow situation. A child who only has fringe words can name things but cannot easily ask, refuse, comment, or direct. Core words are what turn naming into conversation.

The SpeakPad home board on iPad, with words colour-coded by type

The 80/20 rule:

Around 80% of what we say uses just a few hundred core words. Teaching a child more and stop unlocks far more communication than teaching a hundred picture-nouns ever could.

Why Core Words Matter So Much

They are always relevant. Core words work in every activity, so your child can use them all day.
They enable real communication. Requesting, refusing, commenting, and directing all run on core words.
They build sentences. Core words are the glue, like I want or help me, that combines words into phrases.
They are efficient to teach. A few dozen core words go further than hundreds of nouns.

The First Core Words to Teach

You do not need to teach all of them at once. Start with a small set of powerful words and model them constantly:

more - request continuation of almost anything
stop and all done - end or refuse an activity
go - start or keep an action moving
want - the engine of most requests
help - ask for support without frustration
my turn and mine - claim a place and take part
like and don't like - comment and express an opinion
I and you - the people words that start sentences

How to Teach Core Words With AAC

Model, model, model. Tap the core word yourself as you say it, throughout ordinary routines.
Focus on a few at a time. Go deep on five or six words rather than sprinkling dozens.
Weave them into daily life. Model more at snack, go at the swing, and stop during play.
Keep their positions fixed. When a word never moves, your child learns where it lives and finds it faster.

Practise Core Words on Paper Too

A device is not the only place to build core vocabulary. A printed core board, kept on the fridge, in the car, or in a bag, means core words are always in reach, even when a screen will not do. SpeakPad offers a free printable Core Word Board you can download and print, and the same core words your child learns on paper carry straight into the app.

What Are Core Words? A Simple Guide to AAC Core Vocabulary