'Years-Old' or 'Years Old': Should There Be a Hyphen?

Wondering how to spell the phrase – ‘years-old’ or ‘years old’? Should there be a hyphen, you might be wondering. We’ll go over that in this article, plus you’ll learn how to pronounce it and use the correct spelling of the word in a sentence.

Need a quick answer? Here it is:

Table of Contents
‘Year Old’ Hyphenated Or Not?
The ‘Year-Old’ Hyphen – When to Use It and When to Drop It
Definition and Meaning of ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’
Pronunciation: How to Pronounce ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’
How to Use ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’ in a Sentence
Concluding Advice on ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’

‘Year Old’ Hyphenated Or Not?

If you’re wondering whether to hyphenate this phrase, it depends on what you’re trying to say.

For example, if you’re talking about how old someone is in general, you’d use ‘years old.’

But if the age is expressed as an adjective before a noun or as a substitute for a noun.

For example:

You don’t generally see ‘years old.’

The ‘Year-Old’ Hyphen – When to Use It and When to Drop It 

As you’ve just learned from the previous section, use the hyphen only when the age is expressed as an adjective before a noun or as a substitute for a noun.

Drop it when you’re simply stating the person’s age.

Now, let’s take a look at the definition of the phrase in more detail.

Definition and Meaning of ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’ 

We’ve already gotten a loose idea of what the phrases both mean, but let’s see what the Merriam-Webster dictionary has to say.

Pronunciation: How to Pronounce ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’ 

Wondering how to pronounce this phrase? Here’s a short guide.

How to Use ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’ in a Sentence 

Now that you know how to pronounce the phrase and what it means, let’s see some examples of how to use it in a sentence.

Concluding Advice on ‘Years-Old’ and ‘Years Old’

To recap, we learned that:

Therefore, you need to be careful about how you spell this phrase.

If you ever get stuck on anything, you can always come back here and refresh your memory. We’ve got a ton of other content on confusing words and phrases people commonly have trouble with. Go check it out anytime you feel unsure.

Learn More:

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  7. ‘In Regard To' or 'In regards To': What's the Difference Between the Two?
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  13. 'Wellbeing' or 'Well-Being': What's the Difference Between the Two?
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