Order alphabetically based on the first two letters

Key Notes :

Hello everyone! Today, we’re going to learn how to put words in alphabetical order using the first two letters.

Why Use the First Two Letters?

Sometimes, lots of words start with the same letter! To put them in the correct order, we need to look at the second letter.

1. Look at the First Letter: First, check the first letter of each word. If they’re different, put them in order just like the alphabet (A, B, C…).
2. If the First Letters are the Same: If the first letters are the same, then look at the second letter of each word. Put them in order based on their second letters.

Examples

Example 1: Different First Letters

Let’s put these words in order: cat, dog, apple

• apple (starts with A)
• cat (starts with C)
• dog (starts with D)

So, the correct order is: apple, cat, dog

Example 2: Same First Letter, Different Second Letter

Let’s put these words in order: ball, bed, big

All these words start with the letter ‘b’! So, we need to look at the second letter:

• ball (second letter is ‘a’)
• bed (second letter is ‘e’)
• big (second letter is ‘i’)

So, the correct order is: ball, bed, big

Example 3: Same First and Second Letter, different Third Letter

Let’s put these words in order: brave, bread, break

All these words start with ‘br’! So, we need to look at the third letter:

• brave (third letter is ‘a’)
• bread (third letter is ‘e’)
• break (third letter is ‘e’)

Since ‘bread’ and ‘break’ also have the same third letter, you would look at the fourth letter to order them

So, the correct order is: brave, break, bread

Practice Time!

Try putting these words in alphabetical order by their first two letters:

• sun, sock, sit
• man, mat, mop
• hen, hat, hip

Remember to have fun and practice! The more you practice, the easier it will become.

let’s practice!