Is something half price or half priced?

Question

When I walk into Shoppers Drug Mart the day after Easter and see cheap chocolate galore, should I announce it on my Facebook profile by writing it's "half price chocolate" or "half priced chocolate"? I've honestly written it both ways in the past and this has left me wondering if one form is more correct than the other.

Answer 1

Price can be a noun (the price of an item) or a verb (to set the price of an item). Moreover, the word priced can be used as an adjective, particularly in combination with other words (e.g., high-priced slacks)

That would suggest that half-priced chocolate is also an acceptable form, where half-priced would be an adjective.

The Ngram favors half price rather strongly:

Meanwhile, a straight web search still favors half price over half priced, but shows plenty of results for both:

Answer 2

"half-price" seems to be the correct form. half-price half-priced

Answer 3

When you place a dollar value on an item in a store, you price that item. If you half price it, then part of the sales price may not be apparent. It is half priced.

If that chocolate in Shoppers Mart was correctly marked, but marked at a fifty percent discounted price, it would have been half price chocolate.

A sales clerk might be let go for half pricing merchandise!

Answer 4

I'm of the opinion that half-price is a noun, while half-priced is an adjective.

I think of the two as being used in these ways:

The chocolate is half-price.

The half-priced chocolate is selling quickly.