The English alphabet starts with the letter A and finishes with the letter Z. It is always written in the same order:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
This order is called "alphabetical order". We often write lists in alphabetical order. For example, to write a list of countries in alphabetical order, we start with countries that begin with the letter A, then with countries that begin with B, and so on. For example:
• Australia
• Brazil
• Canada
If more than one word begins with the letter A, we put them in order based on the second letter, and then the third letter, and so on:
• Algeria
• Argentina
• Belgium
• Benin
• Bermuda
We use alphabetical order for many things, for example:
• dictionaries
• indexes of books
• telephone directories