Understanding Dictionary Order

Arranging words in the order they appear in an English dictionary is a common type of question. This process, also known as alphabetical order, involves comparing words letter by letter from left to right.

Step-by-Step Arrangement

We are given the following words, numbered as follows:

1. Brown
2. Brief
3. Built
4. Beach
5. Blame
6. Birth

To arrange these words in dictionary order, we compare them letter by letter:

Step 1: Compare the first letter.

All words begin with the letter 'B'. Since they are all the same, we move to the next letter.

Step 2: Compare the second letter.

The second letters are: r (Brown), r (Brief), u (Built), e (Beach), l (Blame), i (Birth).

Let's list the words based on their second letter and arrange the second letters alphabetically:

• Beach (second letter 'e')
• Birth (second letter 'i')
• Blame (second letter 'l')
• Brief (second letter 'r')
• Brown (second letter 'r')
• Built (second letter 'u')

Based on the second letter, 'e' comes first, followed by 'i', 'l', 'r', and 'u'. This gives us a preliminary order: Beach, Birth, Blame, Brief/Brown, Built.

Step 3: Compare third letter for words with the same second letter.

We have two words starting with 'Br': Brief and Brown. Let's look at the third letter:

• Brief (third letter 'i')
• Brown (third letter 'o')

Comparing 'i' and 'o', 'i' comes before 'o' in the alphabet. Therefore, Brief comes before Brown.

Step 4: Determine the final order.

Combining the results from the letter-by-letter comparison, the correct dictionary order is:

1. Beach (4)
2. Birth (6)
3. Blame (5)
4. Brief (2)
5. Brown (1)
6. Built (3)

The sequence of numbers is 4, 6, 5, 2, 1, 3.

Checking the Options

We need to find the option that matches the sequence 4, 6, 5, 2, 1, 3.

Option 1: 1, 5, 6, 4, 3, 2

Option 2: 4, 6, 5, 2, 1, 3

Option 3: 2, 6, 5, 4, 3, 1

Option 4: 1, 3, 2, 6, 4, 5

Our determined order (4, 6, 5, 2, 1, 3) matches Option 2.