JFF: What Adorable (Or Odd) Words Have Your Children Come up With?

Updated on February 12, 2013
P.M. asks from Canby, OR
51 answers

I LOVE listening to little kids talk. Their attempts at language are so charming, and often funny. Instead of "good," my grandson said "dood" when he was learning to talk, and my husband and I will still sometimes use this word with each other.

My daughter, nearly 40 years ago, was trying to tell me about hurting her "nut holes" one day. I was puzzled and asked her to show me what nut holes were … knuckles! I'll probably think of a few more after I post this, but I'd love it if you share some of YOUR favorites.

ADDED: Oh, I just remembered a very cute one by Grandboy: when he was learning the names of his body parts, he would say "teckitals." I'm pretty sure you'll know what those are…

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So What Happened?

These are marvelous, and some are even multi-cultural! Thanks for the contributions, mamas, I love 'em.

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

For a while when he cried, he would call his tears his feelings. Like " I need a tissue to wipe my feelings!"

13 moms found this helpful

C.O.

answers from Washington DC on

my oldest son called a ball - Gad***adee - we have video of it...

GAH - DICK - AH - DEE

Say it fast - Gahd***adee!!! Gahd***adee!!! Gahd***adee!!!

ANYTIME he saw a ball - Gahd***adee!!! didn't matter what type of ball it was! Gahd***adee!!!

His blanket was his "pancake"

8 moms found this helpful

P.M.

answers from Indianapolis on

My 2 year old calls me "Monney" instead of Mommy. And calls Grandma "Mama". Says "busy" when she wants held, lol.

---
She also says "oh ship!" And she's not talking about a boat, Haha.

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Her younger sister is nicknamed Munchkin because she's so tiny. She calls her "Munchy". :)

7 moms found this helpful

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L.L.

answers from Rochester on

My almost three year old calls my breasts "feed yous" because I would say, "Mommy feed you?" when she was a baby. The other day Daddy came out without a shirt on, and she shrieked and shouted "Look, Mommy! Daddy has feed yous!"

As far as words go...she used to say "pete a boo", which was so adorable, she says "gurd night", and today she told me, "Mommy, it is certainly ridiculous for me to sit in a chair. I want to stand." Ah, children. It is so adorable when they start to use big words, but still have such a baby voice.

Oh, and she calls her spoon a "poon." When she drops her spoon into her high chair, she'll be digging around between her legs and saying, "Mommy, I can't get my poon!" Oh my.

13 moms found this helpful
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M.D.

answers from San Francisco on

When my youngest started school, he kept telling me he wanted to go to Africa. Turns out it was Aftercare.

My oldest called caterpillars coo poos

Middle child called chips "beesh" and breasts were "night night"

11 moms found this helpful
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M.W.

answers from San Francisco on

My most favorite is a Mother's Day card I got from my oldest son when he was in 2nd grade. (he is now 13)

"Happy Mother's Day Mom! You are the best!! I love you all the way to URANUS!!"

He had absolutely NO idea how funny it really was. No concept that it had a double meaning. I asked him why he chose that planet...just prodding to find out if he knew what it meant. All the while stifling my snort laugh. He said, "It is my most favorite planet and really far away so I love you that far!"

Oh my..it was just the funniest and sweetest moment all wrapped up together. It wasn't until just a couple years ago that he finally understood what anus meant...your anus. It clicked and he laughed so hard.

Now he will jokingly say "Happy Mother's Day mom...I love you all the way to your butt." Not so cute and funny now...just funny to see my teenage boy getting a kick out of it years later.

We keep a color coded composition book for each of our kids so we can write down all these funny and sweet moments. We all love cuddling up and reading through the years of cuteness. Now we have many years worth of memories and us writing letters to them...these books are treasures to us.

Great post!!

11 moms found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Dallas on

When my youngest was smaller she called Sleeping Beauty "Spankin Booty".

11 moms found this helpful

☆.H.

answers from San Francisco on

email for oatmeal
people for pita
farmerstack for thermostat
once cried when dh said he was putting teriyaki sauce on his dinner - he thought dh had said "very yucky" sauce

9 moms found this helpful
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H.W.

answers from Portland on

Kiddo has been fascinated by monsters, and one day announced that 'mushkins' lived under his bed. I was *sure* he said 'munchkins' and proceeded to show him a small, witch-less clip from YouTube.

No, they were not the dreaded mushkins. Apparently, mushkins are bad guys who live in coffins under the bed. Who knew? :p

Oh, and he can't say "Amelia Bedelia".. it's "Amelia Kadevlia". Silly.

8 moms found this helpful

E.D.

answers from Seattle on

My youngest calls tears, cry drops.
When she was very little, she used to call herself Gahka. I'm not sure why.

Both my children used to call avocados, cado-cados. Which I quite like to this day. Sometimes I'm a bit sad that they are growing so quickly.

There are many pump-out tanks in our neighborhood (used instead of septic). A pump out truck goes around every week day, to pump out the contents and take it to a treatment facility. My children call this truck, "The Fart Truck".

My eldest used to say, "abadaba" instead of abracadabra. She'd preform magic tricks where she'd hold something in her hand, say "Abadaba," and then (as she threw the object behind her), "now you don't see it!"

I sneezed the other day and peed a little (I'm pregnant and I find I am more leaky than usual!) and I told my husband that I had. The children heard me and asked why. I told them Boom-boom (the fetus's nickname) was squashing my bladder and it was harder to hold in my pee. The next day my eldest announced to a room of adults, "Mama peed her pants yesterday. Boom-boom was sitting on her 'enis!"

8 moms found this helpful
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B..

answers from Dallas on

My son says "mice cream." It's really cute!!

8 moms found this helpful
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E.S.

answers from New York on

Fun post.

When I would ask my then 1 1/2 year old a question that she would at first answer no, she would consider it and change her answer to "Nokay!" Like she was giving in!

7 moms found this helpful
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C.M.

answers from Chicago on

My SD used to call the game "Hide in the Sink" instead of "Hide and Go Seek." It was too funny, so we never corrected her! She eventually figured it out :)

7 moms found this helpful
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S.Q.

answers from Bellingham on

Bumble bee was 'bum hole bee'
Cockcroach was 'cockcreature'

7 moms found this helpful

M.B.

answers from Tampa on

My son use to say "motor-mikel" instead of motorcycle. And when he loved Thomas the train he said pu$$y instead of Percy! You can imagine my embarrassment when I picked him up from daycare and his teacher told me he was talking about green pu$$y! Now his catch phrase is "oh cheez-it's!"

7 moms found this helpful
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A.L.

answers from Las Vegas on

Kids are so darn cute!!
My son who likes to name the streets and countries would pronounce the following:
Quebec : QUIBEE
Tijuana: TJAWANA
Prague: PRAJU
Munich : MUN-ITCH

A mowhawk haircut was MOHOP

ahhh kids........ :):):)

6 moms found this helpful
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K.L.

answers from Washington DC on

When my 11 year old was a baby she made anything with an "er" on the end have a "y" instead. So shower was showdy (she added a "d" too!) and flower was flowey. My 9 year old had a completely weird word for flower when she was a baby. It was "bobbity". Not sure where she came up with it. She was too young for Cinderella!

6 moms found this helpful

V.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Instead of saying 'Yes' my just over 2 year old son says 'Wee-oh-wee-oh-wee-oh'. He is perfectly capable of saying 'Yes'... He just doesn't. It's always 'Wee-oh-wee-oh-wee-oh'.

6 moms found this helpful

~.~.

answers from Tulsa on

My son is half Indian and one of his uncles is named Mohan (rhymes with dawn). Anyways, my son was talking to him on the phone and called him Mocha Ho-han. His uncle finds it hilarious!

6 moms found this helpful
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D.K.

answers from Pittsburgh on

hostabul - for hospital
pasketti - yeah, really

6 moms found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

"holdyoume" this was how she asked "will you hold me".

"My feelings are hurting"

6 moms found this helpful
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S.S.

answers from Chicago on

we have an italian last name. when my son was little he would say he was
Andrew Michael somebody (couldn't say the last name properly lol)

6 moms found this helpful
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N.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

elephant--elle-flint
chicken cacciatore--chicken catchatoria
popcicles--pepcicles (sounds like testicles every time)
blueberries--bzzz bzzz bzzz (when really little)
screwdriver--"Da do" (Daddy do- also when really little)
His Spanish word for "no"--"Don't-si" (as in no-yes)

also he calls a twinned set of acorns that are joined at the top "panda acorns" ???

6 moms found this helpful
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D.B.

answers from Fargo on

My oldest always said "i cant like it".....we still say this and she's 16.
"I want to hold you"....i would say do you want me to hold you.
Einer busty was Easter bunny
Lemonlaide
Picka does was poka dots
A rouchie was a lady bug...we still call them rouchies haba

Whenever my daughter asked why i had to go to work, i said to make money. I overheard her telling a little friend she knew where money is made....at hee moms work by her mom haha

6 moms found this helpful

A.W.

answers from Kalamazoo on

A Perpendicular pickle placed in a peculiar pile of purple parrot poop pondered Patagonia. (giggle) ;)

They just came up with this on the way home from martial arts about 20 min ago! Then we typed it up so they can share it with their friends tomorrow! LOL!

6 moms found this helpful

K.I.

answers from Los Angeles on

I love these too and have so many...

...the one that stands out the most is a word my oldest son made up him self and his 2 younger siblings both used it too...it was too cute to correct so I just waited until they grew out of it...it was:

No I EMMIT...

...for No I am not!

5 moms found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Sacramento on

My darling (independent) girl used to tell me " I do my byself" Instead of "by myself."

And my son used to call mosquitoes "spageetos". He has a little overbite so spageetos was extra cute and it took me a little bit of time to correct him :) He also (still) calls his big toes his "thumb toes". Makes sense to me!!

5 moms found this helpful

K.M.

answers from Chicago on

Awww Goosefeathers!

d*** for disc (like game disc or movie disc) ... ex "Mommy, can you put in the Diego d***?

Over all we corrected things pretty quickly since he was in speech therepy so I can not recall too many. But I LOVE "Ohh Fingersnap!"

5 moms found this helpful
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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

You broke my heart. (Age 3-6, whenever sad)

Tuna Voice (tone of voice)... As in NO tuna voices!!!

Instead of left & right it was one & other. (Let's get one shoe on, and then the other).

Cat food (any canned food: soup, tuna, peas, whatever)... And he'd meow when eating it (toddler, he thought it was the same food we gave the cat). May I have some cat food? The kind with noodles?
May I have some green cat food?

My bum burped (farts)

Too scary to talk about = The muppet show
________

Bwaaahaha... Also a kid in Japan

Don't touch my mustache = Doitashimashte (premeal thanks)

Sodas = so desu (I see)

Hike you! (I'm hiking as fast as I can!) = haiyaku (hurry up)

Die, Joe...Boo! (Who's joe & WHY do you want him to die??? No! Don't say boo!) = daijobu (are you okay?)

Money? = Nani? (What?)

5 moms found this helpful
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A.D.

answers from New York on

"I already peeded." (already peed)

"I need my pussy f#$k" (Percy fork when he couldn't pronounce Rs) haha

5 moms found this helpful
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B.F.

answers from Dallas on

I told my oldest that the bend in his arm was his elbow. He thought I said, Elmo. Today, 20 yrs later we still sometimes call it our Elmo!

5 moms found this helpful
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D.K.

answers from Cincinnati on

We live in Japan. February 3 is called Setsubun (Eve of the first day of spring) It is a festival to welcome spring. Usually the dad will wear a mask that looks like a horned, red demon. All the other family members throw dried soy beans at 'the demon' to chase any bad luck from your home. while throwing the beans, you yell the phrase, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" (Out with the devil! in with good luck!) Our son tried to say it, but couldn't remember all the Japanese. He mixed it with English and it came out, "Oni wa salt! Get out of Fuchu! " We were laughing so hard because the town that we live in is called Fuchu- town. We told him that if we chased the demon out of Fuchu, our house would definitely have good luck. The other funny thing about this is that salt is often used to cleanse yourself from bad luck after attending a funeral. It sort of stuck, and now we yell our version instead.

Another one that completely stuck is calling a rice ball 'Noah.' Rice ball (Onigiri, Musubi) has a sheet of seaweed covering it. The seaweed is called 'Nori.' When our son was just starting to form sentences he would always say, "Peas, eat Noah?" He can now say please without any trouble, but somehow rice balls have become 'Noahs' in our family.

Some others:
puchi puchi = small
(Delaware grapes = puchi puchi grapes)
ticki ticki = tickle

I have read to him a lot since he was 6 months old. Most of the time people laugh because of how 'old' he sounds for only being 5. He is bilingual. He has spent the most time with me, so English is the stronger of the two for now anyway. He has great pronunciation in English, but the really funny mistakes tend to come out in Japanese.

My son thankfully did not struggle with the same sounds I did as a kid. My mother still likes to tell people how much I embarrassed her when I was a kid. When I was about three years old, I went through a phase where I would yell very loudly, "Mom I want a kiss!" I did this everywhere we went apparently. The first time I did it out in public, everyone around us just stopped and stared at us. My mom said she could feel herself turning every shade of red. See, I couldn't say the letter 'K'. Instead 'K' came out a 'P', making a kiss into a -iss. So after a few days of this, my poor mom decided to yell back twice as loud as I did, "Ok, dear. I'll give you a kiss." Then I was the embarrassed one because everyone laughed. Soon after she started yelling back, I stopped asking for kisses. Then, she said she kind of felt sad and missed it.

4 moms found this helpful
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M.B.

answers from Austin on

The only one I can think of now, was daughter #2..... she said "turch" for "church' ... it was so cute, I didn't want to correct it, so it hung around in her vocabulary for several years......

4 moms found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

My oldest son, now 15, used to say something was so "laughative" meaning funny when he was about 4. We still use "laughative" as an adjective around our house. :)

4 moms found this helpful
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L.F.

answers from San Francisco on

My little ones said :

Yayawnya for lasagne :)

Wittle--Little

Lickwish-licorice

and my ultimate favorite : Sanks ---thanks! I LOVE the words kids come up with :)

4 moms found this helpful

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

Lia-booby-library
Booby-birdy
Ogre bar-granola bar

4 moms found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

My middle son called his socks his "locky locks"
There is a song in Spanish, "sa sa sa....saki sa...saki sa...mesa que mas aplauda" and I would sing it to him every time I changed his socks. I guess he thought the "saki sa" part was his socks.
He also came up with "whistle fart" for his high pitched gas.
"yucky-soba" for yakisoba. My boys don't like it and wonder why it's yucky.
"Monster stew" for beef stew. We had a book called "Monster Stew" all about monsters putting nasty stuff in their stew. My boys hate stew so if I make it they pout and tear up. EEEWWW...monster stew!
L.

4 moms found this helpful

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

I LOVE reading through these! They're all cute!

My older daughter called orange juice "on duke" for years. And so did we. I still think about it when I have orange juice.

Grasshopper -- hopgrasser
Butterfly -- flaubye
Grandpa -- tootsietootsie (because he always brought her tootsie rolls)
Pacifier -- cook
Ambulance -- ambleance

4 moms found this helpful
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D.T.

answers from Muncie on

Chicken pointies = Chicken fingers

She busted out "delectable" the other day.

Added: She just hit me with "I think the microbes in my brain make me naughty." What?!

4 moms found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Portland on

My daughter called grandma "Damma" for quite a while. I thought that was cute, grandma, not so much.

Big Bird was Booga booga and actuall still is even though she can say Big Bird now.

3 moms found this helpful
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A.R.

answers from Dallas on

When my son was little he called parking lots parkinstreets, all one word. Not sure how he got that one.

3 moms found this helpful
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A.V.

answers from Washington DC on

"amn't" as in "am not".

"bednight snack" = bedtime snack

2 moms found this helpful
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A.C.

answers from Madison on

When I was little I couldn't say Mississippi; whenever we'd cross the Mississippi River I'd yell out "the Wippissippi!" It got to be a big joke for years in my family.

My sister when she was little used to call tulips hoop-loops.

1 mom found this helpful
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C.M.

answers from St. Louis on

At 3-4 my daughter was obsessed with a small encylopedia given to her by grandma. She called it 'encyloliklopedia'.

Her preschool teacher's last name was 'Spanhook' and she called her 'Ms. Asparagus'? Not sure where she got that one.

Son was 'd***' (sick) also 'peanut' for his private area.

1 mom found this helpful
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P.K.

answers from New York on

Train horns. Train is barking. Grandson.
Bulldozer was bulldaplozer. Hardscrabble rd. was Habberscrabble Rd. those were my sons

1 mom found this helpful
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M.K.

answers from Kansas City on

My 2 and 5 yo were running around the house last night playing zombie 'a-cop-o-lysp'!

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S.C.

answers from Seattle on

My daughter objects when we have the news or some other 'adult' show on. She tells us she doesn't like those 'Man shows'! She also says Netclix instead of Netflix. I miss my oldest DS's little mistakes. He used to say "Twinko, Twinko, yitto, tar!" He couldn't say his 'L's or 'S's. It was sooooooooooo cute.

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P.B.

answers from Portland on

When my granddaughter was learning body parts, at about the age of 15 months, she climbed up on the bed between my husband and I (we were just kicking back watching a TV program) and she started touching us and telling us our body parts. When she got to my husbands privates, she had no idea what to call it so the just patted him and said "bump". We about died laughing!

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H.P.

answers from Houston on

My 2yo can't say "Grammy", so when he refers to my mother, he pushes out his bottom teeth and rolls his tongue, and that's her name.

"Orange juice" is "ogbey". (He'll say it right when I make him take his time.)

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S.F.

answers from Utica on

Im sure I have a million of them but one that comes to mind mostly bacause she just used it in the store the other day is 'plumper'
She means a plunger for the toilet but refers to it as a plumper
So cute

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L.R.

answers from Portland on

Mom, you forgot Griffin's best one, although he didn't mess up any words...

After my breast reduction, he came up to me and said solemnly, "Mom, I liked your boobies better when they were long."

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