I think it's important to remember that three months ago Axel had NO method of communication other than some grunts, pointing, and taking people by the hand. He had a couple of Serbian word approximations, but they were just that; words that his foster family recognized but weren't really recognizable to others.
When watching Axel cue this story, he is cuing the correct SOUNDS in the word. Even when I correct that he's saying with his mouth, it's because I'm working on him saying sounds I know he's able to say. Even so, he's still cuing the correct sounds, which shows that he recognizes them, it's just hard for him to get that recognition through to his mouth.