Alphabet Order
Kindergarten · English · Study Guide
Learn the 26 letters of the alphabet in order and why their order matters.
The alphabet has 26 letters, and they always go in the same special order! That order is: 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. You have probably sung the alphabet song — that song teaches you all 26 letters in their correct order.
Why does the order matter? Because alphabetical order is used everywhere to organize things. Dictionaries list words in alphabetical order so you can find them quickly. Libraries organize books by the author's last name in alphabetical order. Phone books and lists of names are sorted alphabetically too. If letters had no order, finding anything would be a nightmare!
A helpful trick for remembering the middle of the alphabet: the letters A through G are in the first part, H through N in the middle, and O through Z in the last part. The letter M is right in the middle of the alphabet! So if someone asks if a letter comes before or after M, that tells you if it is in the first or second half.
Practicing alphabetical order also helps you use dictionaries and glossaries later on. When you learn that B comes after A and before C, you are building a skill you will use for the rest of your life — every time you look something up!
| Part | Letters | Starts With / Ends With |
|---|---|---|
| First | A B C D E F G H I | A → I |
| Middle | J K L M N O P Q R | J → R |
| Last | S T U V W X Y Z | S → Z |
Key terms
- alphabet
- The set of 26 letters used to write English — always in the same order
- alphabetical order
- Arranging words or names so they follow the order of the alphabet
- vowels
- The five alphabet letters A, E, I, O, U
- consonants
- The 21 alphabet letters that are not vowels
Flashcards
- alphabet
- The 26 letters A through Z, always in the same order
- A B C D E F G
- The first 7 letters of the alphabet
- H I J K L M N
- The middle letters — M is right in the center of the whole alphabet
- O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- The last 12 letters of the alphabet
- alphabetical order
- Arranging things so they follow A → B → C → ... → Z order
- 26
- The number of letters in the English alphabet
Practice questions
How many letters are in the English alphabet?
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
Show answer
Answer: 26
The English alphabet has exactly 26 letters from A to Z.
The letter B comes before the letter A in the alphabet.
Show answer
Answer: False
A comes first, then B. The alphabet always goes in the same order: A, B, C, D...
The letter that comes after D in the alphabet is ___ .
Show answer
Answer: E
The alphabet goes A, B, C, D, E — so E comes right after D.
Which letter comes LAST in the alphabet?
- X
- Y
- Z
- W
Show answer
Answer: Z
Z is the 26th and last letter of the alphabet — it always comes at the very end.
Alphabetical order is used to organize words in a dictionary.
Show answer
Answer: True
Dictionaries use alphabetical order so you can find words quickly — all A words come first, then B words, and so on.
Fun facts
- The word 'alphabet' comes from the first two Greek letters: alpha and beta — just like A and B!
- The letter E is the most used letter in English, and Z is the least used — E appears in about 11% of all written words.
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