Can dogs and cats understand human language?

See how dogs and cats interpret spoken words, tones, and body cues — plus what science is revealing about their communication skills.

As dog and cat parents, we communicate with our animals through words and nicknames, kisses, pats and cuddles. The bond we share with our dogs and cats is unique and deep. Sometimes it even feels they can read our minds. You may have found yourself wondering if your animal knows what you’re saying, especially when your dog tilts her head or your kitty starts purring at just the right moment. Can dogs and cats understand human language? Or are they just responding to our tone of voice and body language? 

Dogs are better at language recognition than cats

Thanks to their unique social behaviors and developmental patterns, dogs are more adept at language recognition than cats. We can see this in the many service, military, police, and other working dogs that help people on a daily basis. These dogs rely on spoken words and body cues from their handlers to know what to do and when to do it. 

In 2016, Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest) conducted a language recognition study on dogs. The researchers gave the canine subjects MRIs to monitor their brain activity while their trainers spoke certain words and phrases in both high and neutral vocal tones.

The lead author, Attila Andics, stated that “dogs can understand words and intonation through both brain regions like that of humans — they can even react to high tones of voice pitch seen as praise (right hemisphere) while separately recognizing distinct words (left hemisphere).” The study also showed that hundreds of years of development, rather than recent evolution, produced these canine brain patterns. 

We now know that dogs understand and recognize specific names, commands, and words with a level of learning on a par with human toddlers. Your dog probably understands words tied to favorite objects and activities, like “treat,” “walk,” or “dinner.” She may seem to understand a sentence, but she’s reacting more to key words, your tone, and your nonverbal cues. (This is why you can easily spell out T-R-E-A-T or W-A-L-K in front of your dog!).

But how many words can dogs actually understand? In 1928, researchers conducted the first study on how many words dogs can recognize, using a German Shepherd named Fellow. Testing showed that Fellow correctly responded to 68 words/phrases. Since then, scientists have studied how dogs respond to words, cues, and task requests. For example, some requests test whether dogs can retrieve a specific toy from a pile. In 2022, a study on 165 dogs showed that canines can understand an average of 89 words. 

Perhaps the smartest dog so far was a Border Collie names Chaser, who after intensive training learned to understand a stunning 1,000 words!

A recent study from the University of London (among other schools) looked at how compassionate and empathic dogs are. It found that they respond to our feelings and actions, even without direct communication. The study also found that dogs listen in and recognize meaningful content in read speech (without a rise in vocal pitch) and understand their names or similar words through speech recognition. 

Cats connect with us in different ways 

While cats can recognize some words (including their names and those of others in the household), as well as vocal tones and nonverbal cues, they respond better to a combination of these prompts. Researchers only began language recognition studies on cats within the last two decades. They have tested cats to see whether they respond to their names, recognize their humans’ voices (when present or outside the room), and associate various objects and sounds with positive or negative actions. The answer to all these questions is yes! 

Scientists have not yet conducted a conclusive study to determine how many words cats can understand. But results so far estimate the average at ten to 20 words. Cats can recognize words faster than human infants. But researchers need more data to fully analyze their brain activity and language skills. 

In the meantime, cats have their own, very natural communication style that includes hundreds of facial expressions, numerous vocal sounds, purrs, and physical responses (such as turning their heads and moving their ears when hearing our voices). 

The future of language recognition in dogs and cats 

Do dogs and cats understand human language? Scientists continue to conduct more studies in this area. They’re monitoring canine and feline brain waves, further exploring these species’ ability to understand new words/phrases, and discovering stronger communication patterns to strengthen the human-animal bond. 

While this fascinating research will prove important for our future as dog and cat parents, we need to maintain the language we already share with our own individual animal — the language of love, companionship, and joy. Cherished quality time together is the most important form of communication you can share with your dog or cat! 

How do dogs and cats interpret our communications?

Over the last 90 years, researchers have conducted multiple scientific studies to answer this question. The results from these studies are similar. Dogs and cats can understand some words, especially when they hear them often during training or as praise. But they respond more to vocal tone and nonverbal cues, like hand gestures, than to full sentences. As different species, dogs and cats are also quite diverse in how they interpret human language.

As different species, dogs and cats are quite diverse in how they interpret human language.

In 2022, a study on 165 dogs showed that canines can understand an average of 89 words.

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