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Verbal Reasoning · Guide 9 of 15

Alphabetical order

Putting words in dictionary order, finding letters in the alphabet and sorting the letters of a word: quick marks once you have a careful method.

  • Ages 9 to 11
  • 11+ Verbal Reasoning
  • Worked examples

What is it?

Alphabetical order questions ask you to sort words the way a dictionary does, then say which word comes first, last or in a given place.

Other questions use the alphabet itself: which letter is halfway between two letters, which letter is so many places after another, or which letter comes in a given place when the letters of a word are put in alphabetical order.

A typical question

If these words were put in alphabetical order, which would come third? brave   bridge   bread   brick   brown

How to spot it

  • The words 'alphabetical order', 'dictionary order', 'comes first' or 'comes last'.
  • A list of words that start with the same letters, such as br- or st-.
  • Questions about places in the alphabet: 'the letter halfway between…', 'four places after…'.

Step-by-step method

  1. Step 1: Compare the first letter of each word. If they're all the same, move on to the second letter, then the third, and so on.
  2. Step 2: Write the words out in order as you sort them, crossing each one off the list as you use it.
  3. Step 3: When one word is the start of another (car, card), the shorter word comes first.
  4. Step 4: For alphabet questions, write the alphabet across your page and number it 1 to 26.
  5. Step 5: For 'halfway between' questions, count in from both letters at once until you meet in the middle.
  6. Step 6: Count your answer's place twice: is it really third, not second or fourth?

Worked examples

Example 1: words that start the same way

Question: If these words were put in alphabetical order, which would come third? brave, bridge, bread, brick, brown
  1. Step 1: They all start with br, so look at the third letter: br-a-ve, br-i-dge, br-e-ad, br-i-ck, br-o-wn.
  2. Step 2: a comes first (brave), then e (bread), then i (bridge and brick), then o (brown).
  3. Step 3: Bridge and brick both have bri, so look at the fourth letter: c (brick) comes before d (bridge).
  4. Step 4: The order is brave, bread, brick, bridge, brown.

Answer: brick

Example 2: sorting the letters of a word

Question: If the letters of PLANET were put in alphabetical order, which letter would be fourth?
  1. Step 1: Sort the letters: A, E, L, N, P, T.
  2. Step 2: Count along: A is first, E second, L third, N fourth.

Answer: N

Example 3: halfway between two letters

Question: Which letter is exactly halfway between K and Q?
  1. Step 1: K is 11 and Q is 17 in the alphabet.
  2. Step 2: Count in from both ends: L and P, then M and O, and they meet at N. (Or: 11 + 17 = 28, and half of 28 is 14, which is N.)

Answer: N

Common traps

  • Stopping at the first letter

    When words start the same way, keep going letter by letter until they're different.

  • Forgetting short words come first

    'Though' comes before 'thought' because it runs out of letters first.

  • Miscounting the place

    Third means count three: first, second, third. Point to each word as you count.

  • Getting the alphabet wrong under pressure

    Lots of children slip on L, M, N, O, P or on Q, R, S. Write the alphabet out rather than saying it in your head.

Top tips

  • Know your alphabet backwards as well as forwards: some questions ask you to count back.
  • Learn the landmarks EJOTY: E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25.
  • Use a dictionary at home: looking words up is the best practice for this question type.

Practice questions

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6 practice questions on this topic, from easy to 11+ level. Reading the guide is free for everyone; practice is for members, and signing up is free.

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