Dictionary Word Order Explained

The task is to arrange the given words in alphabetical order, as they would appear in an English dictionary.

Identifying Word Order

The words and their corresponding numbers are:

• 1: grape
• 2: grown
• 3: grass
• 4: gross
• 5: grind

Step-by-Step Comparison

We compare the words letter by letter to determine their alphabetical sequence:

1. Initial Letters: All words start with 'gr'.
2. Third Letter Comparison:
   • 'a' in grape (1) and grass (3)
   • 'i' in grind (5)
   • 'o' in grown (2) and gross (4)
   The alphabetical order of the third letters is 'a', 'i', 'o'. This means the 'gra' words come first, followed by 'grind', and then the 'gro' words.
3. Comparing 'gra' words (1 and 3):
   • grape (1) vs grass (3)
   • The first three letters 'gra' are the same.
   • Comparing the fourth letter: 'p' in grape comes before 's' in grass.
   • Order: grape (1) comes before grass (3).
4. Comparing 'gro' words (2 and 4):
   • grown (2) vs gross (4)
   • The first three letters 'gro' are the same.
   • Comparing the fourth letter: 's' in gross comes before 'w' in grown.
   • Order: gross (4) comes before grown (2).
5. Final Assembly:
   • 'gra' words order: 1, 3
   • 'gri' word: 5
   • 'gro' words order: 4, 2
   Combining these based on the third letter comparison ('a' < 'i' < 'o'), the final sequence is 1, 3, 5, 4, 2.

Correct Dictionary Order

The correct order is represented by the numbers: 1, 3, 5, 4, 2.