Core Words vs. Fringe Words: What Matters Most for Beginners

What Are Core Words? The Heart of Communication

Core words are the essential building blocks of nearly every spoken sentence or AAC message. These words:

• Appear frequently in natural conversation (about 80% of everyday language for English speakers)
• Include verbs, pronouns, prepositions, and descriptors like “go,” “want,” “more,” “not,” “in,” and “big”
• Work across contexts, ages, and levels of ability
• Can be mixed and matched to create endless sentence possibilities

Why do they matter so much? When a child learns core words, they can:

• Request help, take turns, and comment (“I want help” “Go fast!”)
• Express opinions or refusals (“Not that” “No more”)
• Create questions, jokes, stories, and protests

Defining Fringe Words: Personal, Specific, Special

Fringe words are the unique, less-frequent vocabulary that represents people, places, things, or special interests. Examples include “trampoline,” “pizza,” “Batman,” or “bus stop.” These words:

• Are highly motivating and meaningful to the individual
• Often cover favorite foods, toys, TV shows, animals, or family names
• Make up a smaller portion of daily conversation (about 20%)

Fringe words are vital for showing personality, passions, and personal needs. They light up children’s faces and spark engagement because they reflect what matters to them specifically.

Why Core Words Come First for Beginners

When starting communication intervention with nonverbal children, children with autism, or children with other speech challenges, SLPs and AAC professionals typically begin with core words. The reasons are clear:

1. Frequency: Core words appear over and over in daily life, making them hard to avoid and essential for constant practice.
2. Versatility: The same core word can be used in dozens of ways. (For example, “go” fits “go home,” “go fast,” “go outside,” “go slow.”)
3. Access to Real Language Functions: Core words make it possible to greet, request, refuse, ask, tell, and connect with others, far beyond labeling or naming specific items.
4. Lifelong Value: Core words “grow up” with the learner. The ability to say “want more,” “help me,” or “I see” is as meaningful in adulthood as it is in preschool.
5. Easier Generalization: Core words are useful in every setting, from home to school to the grocery store, which encourages daily use and faster learning.

Research and best practice show that focusing first on core vocabulary leads to richer, more versatile communication and lays a strong foundation for adding later specifics.

How to Teach Core vs. Fringe Words to Beginners

Step 1: Identify the Right Core Words

Start with a list of 10–20 core words that can work across settings and activities. Good starting examples: go, stop, more, help, want, like, not, you, me, it, on, off. These are easily paired with gestures or signs too.

Step 2: Mix Modeling and Motivation

Model core words every time you communicate. Say them, point to them on a board or device, and align your movement or play to the vocabulary. For example, use “go” each time you roll a car or start a walk.

• Point to “help” while assisting with a puzzle.
• Say “more” as you pour more cereal.
• Use “like” to comment during play.

Step 3: Personalize With Fringe Words When Ready

Once a child begins mastering their first core words, introduce 2–5 highly motivating fringe words such as favorite foods, toys, family names, or classroom items.

• “Cookie” during snack time
• “Tractor” for a farm-loving child
• “Anna” for a Frozen fan

Remember, the fringe words should never replace core words, but rather be layered on top to increase interest and connection.

Examples of Core and Fringe Word Combinations in Real Life

Here are five examples to show how core and fringe words work together for beginners in speech therapy or AAC:

1. Snack Time
   Child: “Want” (core)
   Adult: “Want what?” (add fringe word prompt)
   Child selects “cookie” (fringe)
   Message: “Want cookie”
2. Recess
   Child: “Go” (core)
   Adult: “Go where?”
   Child chooses “slide” (fringe word)
   Message: “Go slide”
3. Choice Making
   Child: “Like” (core)
   Adult: “Like what?”
   Child points to “music” (fringe)
   Message: “Like music”
4. Story Time
   Child: “Help” (core)
   Adult: “Help with what?”
   Child selects “book” (fringe)
   Message: “Help book”
5. When Upset
   Child: “Stop” (core word alone gets the job done!)
   Message: “Stop!”

Frequently Asked Questions: Core and Fringe Words in Early Communication

What is a good ratio of core to fringe words for beginners?

A common starting point is about 80% core words and 20% fringe words on an AAC system or in early word lists. The exact number will depend on the child’s experiences and interests, but core always leads.

When should we start adding more fringe words?

As soon as a child shows interest in requesting or talking about favorites, add their top 2–5 nouns or special words. Continuously update fringe vocabulary based on new experiences, changing interests, or classroom topics.

Are there risks to teaching only fringe words early on?

Yes. Focusing just on specific nouns or favorite things may teach rote requesting (for example, always “juice” but never “help” or “stop”), which limits conversational potential. Core words are the keys to real back-and-forth communication.

Do core words look the same for every child?

Mostly yes, because they are language essentials. However, the highest-priority core words may change slightly based on cultural, family, or classroom routines. Always individualize but keep flexibility at the center.

How do I keep beginners motivated when focusing on core words?

Use play, music, humor, and choice alongside core vocabulary. Let the child choose favorite activities (“go swing” or “like music”) and celebrate every attempt, even if it’s just one word. Core words can be powerful in social routines and turn-taking games, too.

Why Are Core Words Challenging for Some Parents or Teams?

Many teams or families are used to focusing on favorite and object-based words since they are easy to motivate at first. It can be tempting to overfill an AAC board with dozens of foods, toys, or cartoon characters. This approach, however, leads to slow, limited language growth due to three main challenges:

1. Immediate Requests vs. Real Conversation: A board with “pizza,” “cookie,” and “truck” may help with requests but does not build the skills needed to comment, ask, answer, or say “I want more help!”.
2. Overwhelm and Choice Paralysis: Crowded screens confuse and overwhelm beginners; less is often more for learning.
3. Lack of Flexibility: Fringe words rarely swap contexts; they are usually tied to one activity. Core words work everywhere, every day.

What Does Effective Core Word Teaching Look Like in Practice?

1. Modeling in Routines

Adults consistently point to, say, or sign the same core words each time during routines (“Help” during cleanup, “Go” at the door, “Stop” during transitions).

2. Creating Opportunities for Real Communication

Use surprise, choice, and turn-taking. Pause and look expectantly—give the child a reason to use “more,” “go,” or “help.”

3. Celebrating All Attempts

Every word counts. If a child says “go” once, throw a tiny “celebration” and keep the energy positive. Progress grows from encouragement and repetition rather than correction.

4. Building a Core Word Culture

Speech therapists, teachers, and family members can all use the same set of core words, making language predictable and practice constant across people and settings.

Bullet List: The Top Ten Core Words for Beginners

• Go
• Stop
• More
• Help
• Like
• Not
• You
• Me
• It
• On

These words help create most early messages, from requests to comments, across almost any routine.

Quick Reference Table: Core vs. Fringe Words

Success Stories from the Field: Small Wins With Core Words

Little moments of success using core words, like “I want” or “help”, often snowball into big communication breakthroughs. For children with ASD or speech challenges, every time they use “stop,” “go,” or “like” to get their point across boosts independence and self-assurance. Teachers and parents report that when they focus on core words first, children begin participating in shared activities, daily routines, and social games much more quickly.

Final Thoughts: Building a Strong Communication Foundation

For beginners, both in traditional speech therapy and AAC, the smart approach is to:

1. Start with core words, essential, high-frequency keys to functional communication.
2. Model and practice them all day, every day, in authentic daily life.
3. Add high-interest fringe words as soon as motivation or context calls for it.
4. Celebrate every word, every attempt, and every new communication.

This structure does more than help a child ask for things. It gives them a voice, one that grows with them through childhood and beyond.

FAQs: Core and Fringe Words for Beginners

What are the best ways to model core words at home?

Use core words during every routine: “Go” during outings, “Help” during chores, “More” at snack time. Speak the word and point to it on a board or device. Show excitement for every attempt.

How can I tell if my child or student is ready for fringe words?

If the child communicates with several core words for choices, refusal, or requests, and begins showing unique interests or favorites in daily life, it’s time to introduce their top personal fringe words.

Is it ever wrong to teach a favorite word before core vocabulary?

There is no single right answer. Sometimes a favorite word is so motivating that it gets a child using AAC for the first time. Just be sure to add core words for flexibility as soon as you can.

How fast should I add new words?

Pace depends on interest and learning. Some children master core words quickly, others need repetition for weeks. Add fringe words one at a time for new environments, people, or topics.

How do core and fringe words boost long-term growth?

Core words create a language toolbox for life. As kids get older and their worlds expand, new fringe words can be layered in, but the ability to use flexible high-frequency language is always the foundation for relationships, academics, and independence.