You have probably seen both ‘years old’ and ‘year-old’ and asked yourself: which one is correct? The truth is that the two can be correct, but they are used in different ways. Learn how to use them:

✅ Years old:

When we talk about age we use the verb to be.

Examples:

- I am twenty years old.

- This building is fifty years old.

- My father is fifty-seven years old.

✅ Year-old:

We use 'year-old' when age is used as an adjective (in this case, we always use it before the name and with a hyphen).

Examples:

- My eighteen-year-old daughter is starting college this week.

- I live in a twenty-year-old house.

- My 10-year-old television broke down.

Let's practice!

Write in the comments section sentences with ‘years old’ and ‘year-old’.

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