Order alphabetically based on the first two letters

Key Notes :

Alphabetical order means arranging words or items in the same order as the letters appear in the alphabet (A, B, C, D, and so on).

Think of it like lining up for a class photo. Instead of lining up by height, we are lining up words by their letters!

Why is it Important?

Alphabetical order helps us find things quickly and easily.

• Dictionaries: Find the meaning of words.
• Phone Books/Contact Lists: Find people’s phone numbers or contact information.
• Library: Find books on the shelves.
• Files on a Computer: Locate documents and folders.

Ordering by the First Letter

Let’s start with the basics! When ordering words, we first look at the first letter of each word.

Example: Arrange these words in alphabetical order: apple, banana, cat

1. apple (starts with A)
2. banana (starts with B)
3. cat (starts with C)

Easy peasy!

Ordering by the First *Two* Letters

What happens when words have the same first letter? That’s when we look at the second letter!

Example: Arrange these words in alphabetical order: bat, ball, bear

All these words start with ‘B’. So, we look at the second letter:

• bat (second letter is ‘a’)
• ball (second letter is ‘a’)
• bear (second letter is ‘e’)

‘A’ comes before ‘E’, so we have bat and ball before bear. Now, we need to look at the third letter to sort bat and ball:

• bat (third letter is ‘t’)
• ball (third letter is ‘l’)

‘L’ comes before ‘T’, so ball comes before bat. Therefore the order is:

1. ball
2. bat
3. bear

Ordering by the First Two Letters – More Examples

Let’s try another example: flow, flower, fly

All begin with ‘fl’. So we look at the third letter.

• flow (third letter is ‘o’)
• flower (third letter is ‘o’)
• fly (third letter is ‘y’)

‘O’ comes before ‘Y’, so we have flow and flower before fly. Now we must examine the fourth letter of flow and flower.

• flow (fourth letter is ‘w’)
• flower (fourth letter is ‘e’)

Therefore, flower comes before flow and the complete order is:

1. flower
2. flow
3. fly

Practice Time!

Now you know how to arrange words alphabetically using the first two letters. Keep practicing, and you’ll become an alphabetizing expert in no time!

let’s practice!