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English Quiz - Alphabetical Order (Words) (Questions)

Use alphabetical order to line up words, tidy word lists, and quickly find names, books, and ideas, just like grown-ups do with dictionaries and indexes.

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Fascinating Fact:

Alphabet order is a real-world superpower that grown-ups use in dictionaries, indexes, library lists, and word walls so they can find things fast.

In KS1 English, children learn to arrange whole words in alphabetical order. This skill helps them use dictionaries, word banks, and classroom displays to find meanings, spellings, and names quickly and independently.

Key Terms

Alphabetical order: Putting words in the A to Z order of their letters.
Dictionary: A book or tool where words are listed in alphabetical order with their meanings.
Index: A list at the back of a book, in alphabetical order, showing where to find information.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How do you put words into alphabetical order in KS1?

First, look at the first letter of each word and arrange them from A to Z. If two words start with the same letter, compare the next letter.

What should KS1 children do when words start with the same first letters?

When words share the same first letter, check the second letter. If those match too, look at the third letter to decide which word comes first.

Why is alphabetical order important for KS1 children?

Alphabetical order helps children find words quickly in dictionaries, word walls, book lists, and indexes, building independence and stronger reading and spelling skills.

Try These Related Quizzes

To see a larger image, click on the picture.

1.

'Apple, banana...' If these words are in alphabetical order, which word comes next?

[ ]	dog
[ ]	cactus
[ ]	elephant
[ ]	snake

2.

'dog, fox...' If these are in alphabetical order, which word would come next?

[ ]	zebra
[ ]	helicopter
[ ]	army
[ ]	mango

3.

Put these words in order: face, nose, eyes, mouth.

[ ]	eyes, face, nose, mouth
[ ]	face, eyes, mouth, nose
[ ]	eyes, mouth, nose, face
[ ]	eyes, face, mouth, nose

4.

Put these words in order: seat, car, wheel, engine.

[ ]	car, engine, seat, wheel
[ ]	wheel, engine, seat, car
[ ]	engine, car, seat, wheel
[ ]	car, engine, wheel, seat

5.

Put these words in order: school, teacher, pupil, book, work.

[ ]	book, pupil, teacher, school, work
[ ]	book, pupil, school, work, teacher
[ ]	school, work, teacher, pupil, book
[ ]	book, pupil, school, teacher, work

6.

Put these words in order: snow, ice, cold, winter, freezing

[ ]	cold, ice, freezing, snow, winter
[ ]	cold, freezing, ice, snow, winter
[ ]	cold, freezing, ice, winter, snow
[ ]	snow, freezing, winter, cold, ice

7.

Look at the second letter to help you. Put these words in order: gas, grass, gold, gum.

[ ]	gas, gold, grass, gum
[ ]	gum, gold, grass, gold
[ ]	gas, gum, grass, gold
[ ]	gas, gold, gum, grass

8.

Put these words in order: red, yellow, pink, purple

[ ]	pink, red, yellow, purple
[ ]	pink, yellow, red, purple
[ ]	pink, purple, red, yellow
[ ]	pink, purple, yellow, red

9.

Put these words in order: cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, farm.

[ ]	farm, pigs, sheep, chickens, cows
[ ]	chickens, cows, farm, pigs, sheep
[ ]	pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, farm
[ ]	cows, chickens, farm, pigs, sheep

10.

Put these words in order: ship, captain, sea, open, sailors, ocean.

[ ]	captain, ship, ocean, open, sailors, sea
[ ]	captain, ocean, open, sailors, sea, ship
[ ]	ocean, open, sailors, sea, captain, ship
[ ]	captain, sea, ship, sailors, open, ocean

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - What is alphabetical order?

English Quiz - Alphabetical Order (Words) (Answers)

1.

'Apple, banana...' If these words are in alphabetical order, which word comes next?

[ ]	dog
[x]	cactus
[ ]	elephant
[ ]	snake

The next letter would be 'c'. We don't always order words that come after each other (like abc), sometimes we find the next nearest letter.

2.

'dog, fox...' If these are in alphabetical order, which word would come next?

[ ]	zebra
[x]	helicopter
[ ]	army
[ ]	mango

We look at the words available and see which one would be the next nearest letter.

3.

Put these words in order: face, nose, eyes, mouth.

[ ]	eyes, face, nose, mouth
[ ]	face, eyes, mouth, nose
[ ]	eyes, mouth, nose, face
[x]	eyes, face, mouth, nose

Even though there are many letters in-between 'f' and 'm', we have to order the words we have available.

4.

Put these words in order: seat, car, wheel, engine.

[x]	car, engine, seat, wheel
[ ]	wheel, engine, seat, car
[ ]	engine, car, seat, wheel
[ ]	car, engine, wheel, seat

If you get stuck, it's worth writing the words down and highlighting, with a pencil, the first letter of each word.

5.

Put these words in order: school, teacher, pupil, book, work.

[ ]	book, pupil, teacher, school, work
[ ]	book, pupil, school, work, teacher
[ ]	school, work, teacher, pupil, book
[x]	book, pupil, school, teacher, work

If you have large groups of words to order, it's worth putting them in groups: you know words that have 'wxyz' would be towards the end and 'abcd' would be at the beginning.

6.

Put these words in order: snow, ice, cold, winter, freezing

[ ]	cold, ice, freezing, snow, winter
[x]	cold, freezing, ice, snow, winter
[ ]	cold, freezing, ice, winter, snow
[ ]	snow, freezing, winter, cold, ice

If there are two words that start with the same letter, then we look at the second letter in those words.

7.

Look at the second letter to help you. Put these words in order: gas, grass, gold, gum.

[x]	gas, gold, grass, gum
[ ]	gum, gold, grass, gold
[ ]	gas, gum, grass, gold
[ ]	gas, gold, gum, grass

Because all the words we are ordering begin with the letter 'g', we look at the second letter each time.

8.

Put these words in order: red, yellow, pink, purple

[ ]	pink, red, yellow, purple
[ ]	pink, yellow, red, purple
[x]	pink, purple, red, yellow
[ ]	pink, purple, yellow, red

It is easier to order all the first letters and then, if there are words that begin with the same letter - order them next.

9.

Put these words in order: cows, pigs, sheep, chickens, farm.

[ ]	farm, pigs, sheep, chickens, cows
[x]	chickens, cows, farm, pigs, sheep
[ ]	pigs, sheep, cows, chickens, farm
[ ]	cows, chickens, farm, pigs, sheep

The library is alphabetised to help you find a book. Without that order, it could take a very long time to find your favourite story.

10.

Put these words in order: ship, captain, sea, open, sailors, ocean.

[ ]	captain, ship, ocean, open, sailors, sea
[x]	captain, ocean, open, sailors, sea, ship
[ ]	ocean, open, sailors, sea, captain, ship
[ ]	captain, sea, ship, sailors, open, ocean

This was a hard one because there were three words beginning with 's' and two beginning with 'o'. Now imagine how hard it must have been to alphabetise all the words that are in the dictionary!