Dictionary Word Order: A Step-by-Step Guide

This guide explains how to arrange the given words in the correct alphabetical order, as they would appear in an English dictionary. Understanding dictionary order is crucial for vocabulary building and language skills.

The Words to Order:

• 1: demolish
• 2: demon
• 3: destroy
• 4: decor
• 5: detour

Comparing Words for Dictionary Alphabetical Order

Initial Comparison (First and Second Letters)

To find the dictionary order, we compare the words letter by letter starting from the beginning.

• First Letter: All words start with 'd'.
• Second Letter: All words have 'e' as the second letter. The words all start with 'de'.

Since the first two letters are the same for all words, we need to look at the third letter to start ordering them.

Third Letter Comparison

Let's examine the third letter of each word:

• decor (4): 'c'
• demolish (1): 'm'
• demon (2): 'm'
• destroy (3): 's'
• detour (5): 't'

Alphabetically, the order of these third letters is 'c', 'm', 's', 't'. This tells us:

• 'decor' (4) comes first because 'c' comes before 'm', 's', and 't'.
• 'destroy' (3) comes before 'detour' (5) because 's' comes before 't'.
• The two words starting with 'dem' ('demolish' and 'demon') will come after 'decor' but before 'destroy' and 'detour'.

So far, the order looks like: 4, {1, 2}, 3, 5.

Comparing Words Starting with 'dem'

We need to order 'demolish' (1) and 'demon' (2). They both start with 'demo'. We look at the fifth letter:

• demolish (1): Fifth letter is 'l'.
• demon (2): Fifth letter is 'n'.

Since 'l' comes before 'n' in the alphabet, 'demolish' (1) comes before 'demon' (2).

The order for these two words is 1, 2.

Comparing Words Starting with 'des' and 'det'

We need to order 'destroy' (3) and 'detour' (5).

• destroy (3): Starts with 'des'.
• detour (5): Starts with 'det'.

Comparing the third letters 's' and 't', we know 's' comes before 't'. Therefore, 'destroy' (3) comes before 'detour' (5).

The order for these two words is 3, 5.

Final Correct Dictionary Order

Now, we combine all the ordered parts:

1. The word starting with 'dec': 'decor' (4).
2. The words starting with 'dem', ordered as: 'demolish' (1), then 'demon' (2).
3. The words starting with 'des' and 'det', ordered as: 'destroy' (3), then 'detour' (5).

Putting it all together, the correct dictionary order is:

4, 1, 2, 3, 5

This sequence represents the words in the following order: decor, demolish, demon, destroy, detour.

This order matches Option 1.