Alphabetical Order

The English alphabet starts with the letter A and finishes with the letter Z. It is always written in the same order:

This order is called "alphabetical order". We often write lists in alphabetical order. For example, to write a list of countries in alphabetical order, we start with countries that begin with the letter A, then with countries that begin with B, and so on. For example:

• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada

If more than one word begins with the letter A, we put them in order based on the second letter, and then the third letter, and so on:

• Algeria
• Argentina
• Belgium
• Benin
• Bermuda

We use alphabetical order for many things, for example:

• dictionaries
• indexes of books
• telephone directories

When you write any list, it is a good idea to use alphabetical order. This makes it easy for your reader to find a particular item in the list.