What is alphabetical order?
Alphabetical order means putting words in the same order as the letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, all the way to Z. It is also called ABC order.
Why do we need it? Imagine a library with thousands of books just thrown on the shelves. You would never find the one you want! Alphabetical order helps us organize things so we can find them quickly.
Where we use ABC order
You will find alphabetical order in many places:
- Dictionaries: words are listed from A to Z.
- Glossaries at the back of nonfiction books.
- Indexes at the back of books.
- Class lists of students’ names.
- Phone contacts and address books.
- Libraries, where fiction books are sorted by the author’s last name.
How to put words in ABC order
Step 1: Look at the first letter
Look at the first letter of each word. Put them in order using the alphabet.
dog, apple, cat, bear
First letters: d, a, c, b. In ABC order: a, b, c, d.
Answer: apple, bear, cat, dog
Step 2: If the first letters match, look at the second letter
bus, bat, bed
All start with b. Look at the second letter: u, a, e. In ABC order: a, e, u.
Answer: bat, bed, bus
Step 3: Keep going if you need to
star, step, stop
The first two letters are all st. Look at the third letter: a, e, o.
Answer: star, step, stop
Special case: short words come first
car, cart
The first three letters are the same. Car runs out of letters first, so it comes first.
Answer: car, cart
Tips for ABC order
- Sing or say the alphabet if you get stuck.
- Write the alphabet at the top of your page to look at.
- Underline the letter you are comparing.
- Cross off words as you put them in order.
Using a dictionary
A dictionary is a reference tool that tells you how to spell a word and what it means. Words are in ABC order.
Guide words
At the top of each dictionary page are two guide words. The first guide word is the first word on the page. The second is the last word on the page. Every word on that page comes between them in ABC order.
If the guide words are bake and bark, would ball be on that page? Yes! Ball comes after bake and before bark.
Finding a word in a dictionary
- Think about the first letter. Is it near the front (A to G), the middle (H to P) or the back (Q to Z)?
- Open the dictionary to that part.
- Use the guide words to find the right page.
- Look down the page in ABC order.
Other reference tools
- Glossary: a mini dictionary at the back of a book with special words from that book.
- Index: an ABC list of topics with page numbers. To find frogs in a book about animals, look under F in the index.
- Table of contents: a list of chapters at the front of a book. This one is in page order, not ABC order.
- Picture dictionary: a dictionary with pictures, great for young readers.
- Children’s encyclopedia: a book or website with facts about many topics, in ABC order.
Let’s try some examples
Example 1: Put in ABC order. zebra, monkey, lion
First letters: z, m, l. Order: lion, monkey, zebra.
Example 2: Put in ABC order. pig, pan, pot
Second letters: i, a, o. Order: pan, pig, pot.
Example 3: Guide words. The guide words are hat and help. Would hen be on that page?
Hen comes after help (he-l, he-n: l comes before n). So no, it is on a later page.
Example 4: Index. Where would you look to find information about snakes in an animal book’s index?
Under S.
Common mistakes
- Only looking at the first letter when two words start the same.
- Mixing up letters close together, like m and n or p and q. Say the alphabet to check.
- Thinking the table of contents is in ABC order. It is in page order.
Try it yourself
- Put in ABC order: orange, grape, apple, kiwi.
- Put in ABC order: sun, sat, sit.
- Guide words are dog and duck. Which word is on that page? doll, egg, cat
- Which tool would you use to find the meaning of a word? Which would you use to find the page about whales?
Answers: 1. apple, grape, kiwi, orange. 2. sat, sit, sun. 3. doll. 4. A dictionary or glossary; an index.
Tip for families
Have your child put the names of family members, favourite foods or toy animals in ABC order. Explore a children’s dictionary together and play “race to find the word” using guide words.
Quick recap
- Alphabetical order puts words in order from A to Z.
- Look at the first letter; if they match, look at the next letter.
- Dictionaries, glossaries and indexes use ABC order.
- Guide words show the first and last words on a dictionary page.
- Reference tools help you find spellings, meanings and facts.