Understanding Dictionary Order of Words

To arrange words in dictionary order, we compare them letter by letter starting from the left. If two words are identical up to a certain point, the shorter word comes first. If they differ at a certain letter, the word with the letter that appears earlier in the alphabet comes first.

Applying Dictionary Order to the Given Words

The given words are:

1. Native
2. Nationality
3. Nation
4. National
5. Nationalism

Let's compare these words letter by letter:

• All words start with "Natio".
• Comparing the fifth letter:
  • Native: 'v'
  • Nationality, Nation, National, Nationalism: 'o'
  Since 'o' comes before 'v', the words starting with "Natio" will come before "Native".

Now let's order the words starting with "Natio": Nationality, Nation, National, Nationalism.

• Compare the sixth letter: All have 'n'. So, "Nation".
• Now compare the seventh letter:
  • Nation: Ends here.
  • Nationality, National, Nationalism: 'a'
  Since "Nation" is a prefix of the others, it comes first among these four.

Remaining words to order are: Nationality, National, Nationalism. All start with "Nationa".

• Compare the eighth letter: All have 'l'. So, "National".
• Now compare the ninth letter:
  • National: Ends here.
  • Nationality, Nationalism: 'i'
  Since "National" is a prefix of the others, it comes first among these three.

Remaining words to order are: Nationality, Nationalism. Both start with "Nationali".

• Compare the tenth letter:
  • Nationality: 't'
  • Nationalism: 's'
  Since 's' comes before 't' in the alphabet, "Nationalism" comes before "Nationality".

Sorted List of Words

Based on the letter-by-letter comparison, the words arranged in dictionary order are:

1. Nation
2. National
3. Nationalism
4. Nationality
5. Native

Identifying the Third Word

In the sorted list:

1. First word: Nation
2. Second word: National
3. Third word: Nationalism

Therefore, the word that comes at the third position is Nationalism.

Revision Table: Dictionary Order Practice

Here's a quick summary of the comparison process:

Additional Information on Dictionary Ordering

Dictionary order, also known as lexicographical order, is a standard way of ordering sequences of elements, most commonly used for words and strings. The basic rules are:

• Compare the first elements of the sequences. The sequence whose first element is smaller comes first.
• If the first elements are the same, compare the second elements, and so on.
• If one sequence is a prefix of another (e.g., "cat" and "catalog"), the shorter prefix sequence comes first.

This method is fundamental in computer science for sorting strings and in everyday use for arranging words in dictionaries and lists alphabetically.