When do you need to worry about a speech delay?

General markers worth checking against: no babbling by around nine months, no single words by fifteen months, fewer than about fifty words or no two-word combinations by two years, and speech that close family cannot understand by three. In multilingual Indian homes, children may mix languages and sometimes speak slightly later, but total vocabulary across all languages should still be developing normally — bilingualism does not cause genuine delay, which is a common misconception. Also check hearing, since undetected hearing loss is a frequent and correctable cause. Early intervention works better than waiting.