Understanding Dictionary Order

Arranging words in dictionary order means listing them alphabetically, just like you would find them in a dictionary. We compare the words letter by letter from left to right. If the first letters are the same, we look at the second letters, and so on, until we find a difference.

Applying Dictionary Order to the Given Words

Let's look at the words provided and arrange them in dictionary order:

1. Hostile
2. Hostel
3. Hospital
4. House
5. Hopeless

We compare these words letter by letter:

• First letter: All words start with 'H'. No difference yet.
• Second letter: All words have 'o' as the second letter. Still no difference.
• Third letter: Now we see differences:
  • Hostile: 's'
  • Hostel: 's'
  • Hospital: 's'
  • House: 'u'
  • Hopeless: 'p'

Comparing 's', 'u', and 'p', the letter 'p' comes first in the alphabet, followed by 's', and then 'u'. So, "Hopeless" (5) comes first.

Now we compare the remaining words starting with "Hos": Hostile, Hostel, Hospital, House. We already compared the first three letters ('H', 'o', 's'). Let's look at the fourth letter:

• Hostile: 't'
• Hostel: 't'
• Hospital: 'p'
• House: 'u'

Comparing 't', 'p', and 'u', the letter 'p' comes first, followed by 't', and then 'u'. So, "Hospital" (3) comes next.

Now we compare the remaining words starting with "Host": Hostile, Hostel. We already compared the first four letters ('H', 'o', 's', 't'). Let's look at the fifth letter:

• Hostile: 'i'
• Hostel: 'e'

Comparing 'i' and 'e', the letter 'e' comes first in the alphabet. So, "Hostel" (2) comes next, followed by "Hostile" (1).

The last remaining word is "House" (4), which starts with 'Hou', coming after 'Hos' in dictionary order.

Therefore, the correct order is:

1. Hopeless (5)
2. Hospital (3)
3. Hostel (2)
4. Hostile (1)
5. House (4)

This gives the sequence of numbers: 5, 3, 2, 1, 4.

Comparing with Options

Let's check this sequence against the given options:

Option 3 matches the order we found: 5, 3, 2, 1, 4.

Revision Table: Dictionary Order Practice

Additional Information: Alphabetical Sorting Tips

When sorting words alphabetically:

• Compare the first letter of each word.
• If the first letters are the same, compare the second letters.
• Continue this process until you find a letter that is different. The word with the letter that comes earlier in the alphabet is placed first.
• If one word runs out of letters while comparing and the letters matched so far are the same, the shorter word comes first (e.g., "cat" comes before "catalogue").
• Capitalization is usually ignored in standard dictionary order, treating 'A' and 'a' the same.

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