alphabetical
gb/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl/ us/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
adjective
B1
property
1
arranged by the alphabet
Put in A-to-Z order.
Usage pattern:
[things] are alphabetical (by [word/field])
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse alphabetical order with numerical or chronological order; it is based on letter order.
Synonyms
alphabetized (More directly means 'put into alphabetical order,' often for lists or files.)
|
sorted (Broader; can be sorted by many criteria, not only letters.)
Antonyms
random (Not arranged by any ordering rule.)
|
chronological (Arranged by time rather than by letters.)
Collocations
alphabetical order
|alphabetical list
|alphabetical index
|alphabetical directory
|alphabetical arrangement
|alphabetical filing system
|alphabetical sequence
|alphabetical sorting
|alphabetical by last name
|alphabetical by first name
Themes
education
|writing
|organization
Examples
- The employee names are in an alphabetical list by last name.
- Please keep the customer folders alphabetical so they’re easy to find.
- The glossary is alphabetical, not grouped by topic.
Learner examples
- The words are in alphabetical order.
- I keep my contacts alphabetical.
adjective
B2
property
2
relating to letters of alphabet
Using letters (A–Z), not numbers.
Usage pattern:
an alphabetical [character/string/system]
Common mistake:
Learners often use alphabetic/alphabetical interchangeably; in many contexts both work, but 'alphabetical' is most common for ordering and 'alphabetic' is more common in technical descriptions.
Synonyms
alphabetic (Often preferred in technical or linguistic contexts for 'relating to an alphabet.')
|
letter (Used attributively in some contexts (e.g., 'letter characters'), but less standard.)
Antonyms
numeric (Consisting of numbers rather than letters.)
|
nonalphabetic (Not made up of alphabet letters.)
Collocations
alphabetical characters
|alphabetical string
|alphabetical code
|alphabetical symbol
|alphabetical script
|alphabetical system
Themes
writing
|computing
|language
Examples
- Enter only alphabetical characters in this field.
- Your password must include at least one alphabetical character and one number.
- The form rejects names with non-alphabetical symbols.
Learner examples
- Use alphabetical characters, not numbers.
Grammar
Dictionary form
alphabetical
IPA
GB/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl/
US/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl/
Syllables & stress
al - pha - bet - ic (4 syllables)
Stress on 3rd syllable (bet)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: alphabetical
Word family
Core family
alphabet
noun A1
alphabetically
adverb
Related words
alphabetic
adjective
alphabetize
verb
Advanced or less common
alphabetization
noun
Expressions
alphabetical arrangement
1/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl ɚˈeɪnd͡ʒmənt/
fixed phrase
arrangement based on alphabet
An A-to-Z arrangement.
Examples
- The files are kept in alphabetical arrangement by client name.
- For quick access, the spices are in alphabetical arrangement.
- We changed the display from category view to alphabetical arrangement.
alphabetical index
1/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl ˈɪndɛks/
fixed phrase
A-to-Z index for finding items
An A-to-Z index to find information.
Examples
- Check the alphabetical index at the back of the book.
- The app includes an alphabetical index of medications.
- The manual’s alphabetical index makes troubleshooting easier.
alphabetical list
1/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl lˈɪst/
fixed phrase
list sorted A to Z
A list in A-to-Z order.
Examples
- We made an alphabetical list of everyone invited.
- The website provides an alphabetical list of services.
- She keeps an alphabetical list of her book collection.
alphabetical order
1/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
A-to-Z ordering of items
A-to-Z order.
Examples
- Put these cities in alphabetical order.
- The bibliography is in alphabetical order by author.
- The playlist is sorted in alphabetical order.
alphabetical sorting
1/ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl sˈɔɹtɪŋ/
fixed phrase
sorting items by letter order
Sorting in A-to-Z order.
Examples
- Enable alphabetical sorting to display the contacts from A to Z.
- The spreadsheet applies alphabetical sorting to the product names.
- Alphabetical sorting makes the results easier to scan.
in alphabetical order
1/ˈɪn ˌælfəbˈɛtɪkəl ˈɔɹdɚ/
fixed phrase
arranged A to Z
In A-to-Z order.
Examples
- The students are lined up in alphabetical order by last name.
- Keep the ingredients in alphabetical order so you can find them quickly.
- The references appear in alphabetical order.