Getting started

What Are Core Words in AAC, and Which Ones Should I Start With?

VOIS Team · 26 August 2026

If you've spent any time reading about AAC, you've probably come across the term core words. It can sound more complicated than it really is.

Core words are simply words that we use often and in lots of different situations. Words such as go, more, help, stop, want, I and you aren't tied to one particular activity. They can be useful throughout the day.

That's what makes them so valuable in AAC.

Core words versus fringe words

AAC vocabulary is often divided into two broad groups: core words and fringe words.

Core words are flexible words that can be used across many situations. For example:

• more can mean more food, more bubbles or more tickles.
• stop can be used during play, while getting dressed or when something feels uncomfortable.
• help can be useful almost anywhere.

Fringe words are more specific. They might include:

• Mum
• Dad
• yoghurt
• trampoline
• Bluey
• a sibling's name
• a favourite toy

These words matter too. Many AAC resources recommend a combination of core vocabulary and words that are personal and meaningful to the individual.

The aim isn't to choose between core and fringe words. Children need both.

Why not just fill the board with things my child likes?

It's a very natural place to start. If your child loves yoghurt, bubbles and dinosaurs, those words are likely to get their attention much faster than an abstract word such as help.

The problem comes when almost every word on the communication board is the name of an object. Imagine a board containing: juice, biscuit, ball, car, TV, bubbles.

Your child can ask for those things. But what happens when they want the bubbles again? What if they want someone to stop? What if they need help? Or they want to say no?

Core words give a child more ways to communicate using a relatively small vocabulary. That is why they are worth including from the beginning.

Which core words should I start with?

There isn't one official list that every AAC user should follow. Your child's communication needs should guide the vocabulary you choose.

But some words are particularly useful because they can be modelled many times during an ordinary day. A simple starting group could include:

• more
• stop
• go
• help
• want
• no
• yes
• again
• look
• open
• finished

You don't need to introduce all of them at once. Start with words that naturally fit the activities your child already enjoys and the situations where communication is most useful.

Then add personalised words alongside them. A board might eventually contain more, help and stop, together with Mum, swing, water and your child's favourite snack. That's much more useful than either type of vocabulary on its own.

How does a child learn core words?

Usually not by being tested on them.

AAC users benefit from seeing other people use their communication system during real interactions. This is often called AAC modelling or aided language modelling.

The basic idea is simple. You speak normally while also pointing to or selecting an appropriate word on the child's AAC system.

You're opening the front door: "Let's go." Point to go.

Your child hands you something they can't open: "You need help." Model help.

They want another turn on the swing: "Again?" Model again.

You don't need to follow each example with: "Now you do it." The purpose is to show your child what the word means and how it can be used.

AAC modelling is a widely used approach to help AAC users develop understanding and use of symbols.

Use everyday routines

You don't need a special AAC lesson every afternoon. Some of the best opportunities are already happening:

• Breakfast: more, want, open, finished
• Getting dressed: on, off, help, stop
• Playing: go, again, my turn, look
• Bath time: in, out, more, finished
• Leaving home: go, wait, help

You might model only one or two words during an activity. That's enough.

AAC should become part of everyday communication rather than something that only appears when a child is being asked to perform.

What about words that are difficult to photograph?

This is particularly relevant when you're building a photo-based AAC board. Photographing Dad or a favourite cup is easy. Photographing more is less obvious.

You can still create meaningful visual representations. For example, you might use a photograph of:

• an open hand for stop
• someone opening a familiar container for open
• a familiar doorway or movement for go
• an everyday situation that your child associates with more

Some children may respond well to familiar photographs. Others may understand symbols or illustrations more easily. There isn't one visual system that is automatically right for every child.

The important thing is that the representation is understandable, consistent and useful for the individual child.

Where VOIS fits

VOIS allows families to combine core words with vocabulary that is specific to their child's life. You can create cards using familiar photographs and attach voice recordings in the language spoken at home.

So a communication board doesn't have to contain only generic vocabulary. Help can sit next to your child's actual favourite toy. Go can sit next to a photograph of Gran. More can sit alongside the snack your child asks for every afternoon.

That mixture of flexible core words and meaningful personal vocabulary gives a child more opportunities to communicate throughout the day.

And that's really the point. You don't need to find the perfect list of core words before you begin. Start with a few useful words. Use them often. Add the people, places and things that matter to your child. Then allow their vocabulary to grow with their communication.

This article provides general educational information and is not a substitute for individual advice or assessment from a qualified speech-language therapist or healthcare professional.