1. The problem asks to write an inequality representing the statement "y is less than -8". 2. The inequality symbol for "less than" is $<$. 3. The variable is $y$ and the value it is compared to is $-8$. 4. Putting it all together, the inequality is: $$y < -8$$ This means $y$ can be any number smaller than $-8$. Final answer: $$y < -8$$