Children are usually understood by strangers about what percentage of the time by age 3?

By age 3, children typically possess enough language skills for their speech to be understood by strangers about 50% to 75% of the time. At this developmental stage, children are rapidly expanding their vocabulary and improving their pronunciation, but they may still exhibit unclear speech due to articulation issues or the use of less familiar words. Therefore, comprehension by adults who do not frequently interact with the child can be hit or miss, leading to the range of 50% to 75% understanding. This statistic underscores the normal language development trajectory for preschool-aged children, reflecting both their progress and the challenges they face in communication.