Age

Only talk about age if it's necessary for the content meaning. For example, 'all 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to free childcare'.

Do not use hyphens

Do not use a hyphen between ages. For example, use 'children aged 4 to 16 years' rather than 'children aged 4-16 years'.

Do not use hyphens within an age. For example, use '16 years old' rather than '16-years-old'. If the meaning of a sentence is not clear, reword it. For example, '15 students, aged 16, took the course', rather than '15 16-year-old students took the course'.

Be clear and specific

Using terms, such as 'people over 50' or 'children under 16', can be confusing if the person is the age mentioned.

Make the text clear and specific. For example, 'people aged 50 and over' or 'children aged 16 and under'.

Only use 'over' or 'under' on its own where the exact age is not clear. For example, 'this mostly affects people over 60'.

Be concise

Keep any mention of age as short as possible.

If you're writing about adults or children aged 2 or above, use the number without 'years' or 'years of age'. For example, 'people aged 18 and over' or 'children aged 6 or under'. 

If you're writing about children under 2, count their age in:

• weeks up to 6 months
• months up to 2 years

If you need to write about a child under 2 in years, add 'years' to make it clear you're not referring to months. For example, 'children aged 1 year or over'.

'And' or 'or'

Generally, you can use 'and' or 'or' when writing about age. For example, 'aged 18 and over' or 'aged 18 or over'.

If you're addressing a person, use 'or'. For example, 'if you're aged 18 or over'.

Stages of life

If it helps convey meaning, you can use a term for the stage of life. Use:

• fertilised egg: from conception to 14 days
• embryo: from 2 to 6 weeks
• baby: during pregnancy, at birth and up to 1 year
• toddler: 1 to 3 years
• child: 4 to 12 years
• teenager: 13 to 19 years
• young person: 16 to 24 years
• adult: 18 years and over
• older person: 65 years and over, except if it's for the older persons' bus pass where the eligibility age varies

Use your judgement for the best term to use for a person aged 16 to 19: teenager, young person or adult.

Do not use these words, state the age or stage of life instead:

• elderly
• middle aged
• OAP
• old age pensioner
• pensioner
• senior