Dictionary Order and Word Arrangement Notes for SSC Exams

Dictionary order and word arrangement questions ask you to arrange the given words as they appear in a dictionary, or in a meaningful order such as seed, plant, flower, fruit. They are easy marks if you know the rules. These dictionary order and word arrangement notes for SSC explain both types with simple rules and solved examples.

Types of Questions

Rules of Dictionary Order

1. Compare the first letters of the words. The word with the earlier letter comes first.
2. If the first letters are the same, compare the second letters, then the third letters, and so on.
3. If one word is the first part of another word, the shorter word comes first. For example, ACT comes before ACTION.
4. Capital and small letters make no difference.

Solved Examples on Dictionary Order

Example 1. Arrange the words in dictionary order: Cat, Car, Cap, Can.
All words start with CA. The third letters are T, R, P and N. In order N, P, R, T, the words are Can, Cap, Car, Cat.

Example 2. Arrange: Apple, Ant, Angle, Ankle.
All start with A. The second letters are P, N, N, N, so Apple comes last. Among Ant, Angle and Ankle, the third letters are T, G and K. The order is Angle, Ankle, Ant, Apple.

Example 3. Which word comes between BAT and BOT in a dictionary: Bag, Bit, Bow, Bun?
The second letter must be between A and O. Only Bit fits (I is between A and O).

Example 4. Which comes first: Act, Action, Actor?
ACT is the shorter word and a part of the other two, so Act comes first.

Solved Examples on Meaningful Order

Example 5. Arrange in a meaningful order: Fruit, Seed, Flower, Plant.
The order of growth is Seed, Plant, Flower, Fruit. The correct order is Seed, Plant, Flower, Fruit.

Example 6. Arrange: Death, Education, Birth, Marriage.
The life events are in the order Birth, Education, Marriage, Death.

Common Meaningful Orders

Tips for Meaningful Order

• Find the first event and the last event first, then place the middle words.
• Think about the order in which the event happens in real life.
• Check that each word leads naturally to the next word.
• Eliminate the options that put the first or the last word in the wrong place.

Quick Tips

• Compare the words letter by letter and stop at the first difference.
• A shorter word that is a part of a longer word always comes first.
• For meaningful order, fix the first and the last word, then fill the middle.
• Check your final order once from left to right.

Quick Revision Points

• Dictionary order: compare the first letters, then the second letters, and so on.
• A shorter word comes before the longer word with the same start.
• Seed, Plant, Flower, Fruit is the usual plant growth order.
• Birth, Education, Marriage, Death is the usual life order.
• Capital and small letters make no difference.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Which word comes first in a dictionary: Bat, Ball, Bad?
   Answer: Bad
2. Which word comes last in a dictionary: Pen, Pencil, Pea, Peak?
   Answer: Pencil
3. Arrange in dictionary order: Train, Tray, Trap, Trade. Which word comes third?
   Answer: Trap
4. Which word comes between CAT and COT in a dictionary: Cap, City, Cow, Cup?
   Answer: City
5. Arrange in a meaningful order: Seed, Fruit, Plant, Flower. Which word comes third?
   Answer: Flower
6. Arrange in a meaningful order: Birth, Death, Education, Marriage. Which word comes second?
   Answer: Education
7. Which word comes first in a dictionary: Zebra, Zero, Zone, Zeal?
   Answer: Zeal
8. Which word comes first: Act, Action, Actor?
   Answer: Act
9. Arrange in dictionary order: Moon, Month, Moral, More. Which word comes last?
   Answer: More
10. What should you do when two words start with the same letters?
    Answer: Compare the next letters one by one

How to Practise This Chapter

Practise ten questions daily and keep a small notebook of the rules. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the Verbal Reasoning notes page, and also read the Coding-Decoding and Reasoning notes. Read the previous topic, Word Formation and Letter Arrangement, and the next topic, Inserting the Missing Character.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is dictionary order?

It is the order in which words are listed in a dictionary, from A to Z, letter by letter.

How do I arrange words in dictionary order?

Compare the first letters, and if they are the same, compare the second letters, and so on.

Which word comes first when one word is part of another?

The shorter word comes first, such as ACT before ACTION.

Do capital letters matter in dictionary order?

No. Capital and small letters are treated the same.

What is a meaningful order of words?

It is a logical sequence of words, such as the stages of life or the growth of a plant.

How do I solve meaningful order questions?

Find the first and the last word and then fill the middle words in the natural sequence.

What is the usual plant growth order?

Seed, plant, flower and fruit.

How do I find a word between two words?

Compare the letters of the two words and choose the word whose letters fall between them.

Is this topic asked in SSC exams?

Yes. Dictionary order and meaningful order are asked in SSC reasoning papers.

How much time should I take for one question?

About 30 seconds.

What are common mistakes?

Stopping at the first letter and forgetting to compare the next letters.

How many questions come from this topic in SSC exams?

Usually one question comes from word arrangement, but the number changes from year to year.