##  [Alphabetical order](/writing-tips-plus/alphabetical-order)

## Info

Du contenu semblable en français est présenté dans l’article [Ordre alphabétique](/fr/cles-de-la-redaction/ordre-alphabetique).

There are two main systems of alphabetizing. The information below will help you choose the system that is best suited for your purposes.

## On this page

- [Two ways of alphabetizing](#two-ways)
- [Word-by-word system](#wbw)
- [Word-by-word system: Uses](#wbw-uses)
- [Word-by-word system: Punctuation](#wbw-punctuation)
- [Word-by-word system: Advantages and disadvantages](#wbw-advantages-disadvantages)
- [Letter-by-letter system](#lbl)
- [Letter-by-letter system: Uses](#lbl-uses)
- [Letter-by-letter system: Punctuation](#lbl-punctuation)
- [Letter-by-letter system: Advantages and disadvantages](#lbl-advantages-disadvantages)

## Two ways of alphabetizing

A list or index may be alphabetized using the word-by-word system or the letter-by-letter system. The table below compares the two systems.

Example of a list alphabetized using the word-by-word system and the letter-by-letter system
| Word by word | Letter by letter | Laurence, Margaret | Laurence, Margaret |
|---|---|---|---|
| Le Jeune, Père | Leacock, Stephen |
| Le Pan, Douglas | Leechman, Douglas |
| Leacock, Stephan | Le Jeune, Père |
| Leechman, Douglas | Le Pan, Douglas |

## Word-by-word system

Example of a list alphabetized using the word-by-word system
| Word by word | Laurence, Margaret |
|---|---|
| Le Jeune, Père |
| Le Pan, Douglas |
| Leacock, Stephan |
| Leechman, Douglas |

As shown in the table above, in the word-by-word system, the first word is prioritized and then the second word is taken into consideration. In other words, alphabetizing is done up until the first space and then starts over (**Laurence** comes before **Le**, which comes before **Leacock**).

To determine which of the two-word entries beginning with **Le** is listed first, you must look at the second part of the surname: **Le** + **J** comes before **Le** + **P**.

### Word-by-word system: Uses

A word-by-word arrangement is often used in a proper noun listing of open compounds, such as geographical names:

- North Umpqua
- North Valley Stream
- North Vancouver
- North Vernon
- North Versailles
- Northumberland Strait
- Northumbria
- Northvale
- Northville

**Note:** In a letter-by-letter listing, the entries with the word **North** would not have been grouped together.

### Word-by-word system: Punctuation

Sources generally agree that a parenthesis or comma ends the alphabetizing. However, some sources also treat hyphens (except in the case of a prefix) and slashes as spaces. All other marks of punctuation are ignored.

### Word-by-word system: Advantages and disadvantages

An advantage of the word-by-word listing is that it provides for a clear grouping of related entries. For example, if the letter-by-letter method were used with the entries **book**, **book jacket**, **book label** and **book list**, they would be separated by an entry such as **bookkeeping**.

Example of a list alphabetized using the word-by-word system and the letter-by-letter system
| Word by word | Letter by letter | book | book |
|---|---|---|---|
| book jacket | book jacket |
| book label | bookkeeping |
| book list | book label |
| bookkeeping | book list |

A disadvantage of the word-by-word listing is that a related term may have to be separated from the grouping because it is one word (hyphenated or unhyphenated). For example, entries such as **booklet** and **bookmark** might well be separated from the above group, even though they belong to the same subject field.

## Letter-by-letter system

Example of a list alphabetized using the letter-by-letter system
| Letter by letter | Laurence, Margaret |
|---|---|
| Leacock, Stephen |
| Leechman, Douglas |
| Le Jeune, Père |
| Le Pan, Douglas |

As shown in the table above, in the letter-by-letter system, the number of words in the entry is irrelevant, and spaces are not considered. As the name suggests, entries are arranged according to each letter. The letters **L-a** (Laurence) come before **L-e-a** (Leacock); the letters **L-e-e** (Leechman) come before **L-e-J** (Le Jeune); and so on.

### Letter-by-letter system: Uses

Dictionaries are arranged in a letter-by-letter format.

The letter-by-letter format is also useful for an index of acronyms, letters and symbols with technical meanings, as in a scientific work.

List organizations by their acronyms or abbreviations if they are usually referred to in that way. The short form should be alphabetized letter by letter and followed immediately by the full title in parentheses or a cross-reference to that title.

### Letter-by-letter system: Punctuation

In the letter-by-letter system, spaces and other marks of punctuation are ignored, except for a parenthesis or comma, which ends the alphabetizing.

### Letter-by-letter system: Advantages and disadvantages

The advantage of a letter-by-letter listing is that a compound occupies the same position, whether it is unhyphenated, hyphenated or written as two words.

A disadvantage of the letter-by-letter system is that related entries may be separated.

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Un outil créé et mis en ligne par le Bureau de la traduction, Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada

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## Liens connexes

- [Writing Tips Plus](/fr/writing-tips-plus/index-fra) (page d’accueil)
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- [Navigateur linguistique](/fr/navigateur-navigator) (permet de trouver rapidement des conseils linguistiques)
- [TERMIUM Plus®](http://www.btb.termiumplus.gc.ca/tpv2alpha/alpha-fra.html?lang=fra)