Arranging Words in English Dictionary Order

To arrange words in the order they appear in an English dictionary, we compare the words letter by letter from left to right. The word with the letter that comes first alphabetically at the first point of difference will appear earlier in the dictionary.

Let's look at the given words and their corresponding numbers:

• 1. Dementia
• 2. Demand
• 3. Dearth
• 4. Demon
• 5. Daemon

All words start with the letter 'D'. So, we move to the second letter.

• Daemon: Da...
• Dementia: De...
• Demand: De...
• Dearth: De...
• Demon: De...

Comparing the second letters, 'a' comes before 'e'. So, 'Daemon' (5) comes first.

Now let's compare the words starting with 'De': Dementia, Demand, Dearth, Demon.

• Dearth: Dea...
• Demand: Dem...
• Dementia: Dem...
• Demon: Dem...

Comparing the third letters, 'a' comes before 'm'. So, 'Dearth' (3) comes next.

Now let's compare the remaining words starting with 'Dem': Demand, Dementia, Demon.

• Demand: Dema...
• Dementia: Deme...
• Demon: Demo...

Comparing the fourth letters, 'a' comes before 'e', and 'e' comes before 'o'. So, the order is:

• Demand (2)
• Dementia (1)
• Demon (4)

Combining all the words in the correct dictionary order:

1. Daemon (5)
2. Dearth (3)
3. Demand (2)
4. Dementia (1)
5. Demon (4)

The correct sequence of numbers is 5, 3, 2, 1, 4.

Revision Table: Key Concepts in Dictionary Order

Additional Information on Dictionary Arrangement

Understanding dictionary order is a fundamental skill for language learners and is often tested in verbal ability sections. It involves systematic comparison based on the standard English alphabet sequence (A, B, C, ..., Z).

• When comparing words, start with the first letter. If they are the same, move to the second letter, and so on.
• Continue comparing letters until you find a position where the letters are different. The word with the letter that comes earlier in the alphabet comes first.
• If all letters of a shorter word match the beginning of a longer word (e.g., "read" and "reader"), the shorter word comes first.
• This process is crucial for quickly finding words in dictionaries, indexes, and sorted lists.

Practicing with different sets of words helps improve speed and accuracy in arranging them in alphabetical order.