ABC Order Worksheets to Print, From First Letter to Third Letter

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comLevel 1, first letter: animalsWord boxWrite the words in ABC order.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.Spelling: ABC orderpigzebrabearfoxgoatducklion
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comLevel 1, first letter: animalsWrite the words in ABC order.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.Spelling: ABC orderAnswer keybearduckfoxgoatlionpigzebra
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7 words (Level 1, first letter: animals), ABC order, on 1 page and 1 page of answers, Letter portrait.

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The spelling lists

Level 1, first letter: animals 7

  • bear 1st of 7. The first letter, b, decides it.
  • duck 2nd of 7. The first letter, d, decides it.
  • fox 3rd of 7. The first letter, f, decides it.
  • goat 4th of 7. The first letter, g, decides it.
  • lion 5th of 7. The first letter, l, decides it.
  • pig 6th of 7. The first letter, p, decides it.
  • zebra 7th of 7. The first letter, z, decides it.

Level 1, first letter: food 7

  • apple 1st of 7. The first letter, a, decides it.
  • bread 2nd of 7. The first letter, b, decides it.
  • corn 3rd of 7. The first letter, c, decides it.
  • egg 4th of 7. The first letter, e, decides it.
  • milk 5th of 7. The first letter, m, decides it.
  • rice 6th of 7. The first letter, r, decides it.
  • soup 7th of 7. The first letter, s, decides it.

Level 1, first letter: school 7

  • book 1st of 7. The first letter, b, decides it.
  • desk 2nd of 7. The first letter, d, decides it.
  • glue 3rd of 7. The first letter, g, decides it.
  • map 4th of 7. The first letter, m, decides it.
  • pencil 5th of 7. The first letter, p, decides it.
  • ruler 6th of 7. The first letter, r, decides it.
  • tape 7th of 7. The first letter, t, decides it.
Show all 168 words (147 more)

Level 1, first letter: colors 7

  • blue 1st of 7. The first letter, b, decides it.
  • green 2nd of 7. The first letter, g, decides it.
  • orange 3rd of 7. The first letter, o, decides it.
  • pink 4th of 7. The first letter, p, decides it.
  • red 5th of 7. The first letter, r, decides it.
  • white 6th of 7. The first letter, w, decides it.
  • yellow 7th of 7. The first letter, y, decides it.

Level 1, first letter: weather 7

  • cloud 1st of 7. The first letter, c, decides it.
  • fog 2nd of 7. The first letter, f, decides it.
  • ice 3rd of 7. The first letter, i, decides it.
  • rain 4th of 7. The first letter, r, decides it.
  • snow 5th of 7. The first letter, s, decides it.
  • thunder 6th of 7. The first letter, t, decides it.
  • wind 7th of 7. The first letter, w, decides it.

Level 1, first letter: family 7

  • aunt 1st of 7. The first letter, a, decides it.
  • baby 2nd of 7. The first letter, b, decides it.
  • dad 3rd of 7. The first letter, d, decides it.
  • grandma 4th of 7. The first letter, g, decides it.
  • mom 5th of 7. The first letter, m, decides it.
  • sister 6th of 7. The first letter, s, decides it.
  • uncle 7th of 7. The first letter, u, decides it.

Level 2, second letter: b words 7

  • bat 1st of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, a, decides it.
  • bell 2nd of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, e, decides it.
  • bird 3rd of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, i, decides it.
  • black 4th of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, l, decides it.
  • box 5th of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, o, decides it.
  • brush 6th of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, r, decides it.
  • bus 7th of 7. Every word starts with b, so the second letter, u, decides it.

Level 2, second letter: c words 7

  • cake 1st of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, a, decides it.
  • cent 2nd of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, e, decides it.
  • chin 3rd of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, h, decides it.
  • city 4th of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, i, decides it.
  • clap 5th of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, l, decides it.
  • coat 6th of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, o, decides it.
  • cup 7th of 7. Every word starts with c, so the second letter, u, decides it.

Level 2, second letter: f words 7

  • fan 1st of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, a, decides it.
  • feet 2nd of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, e, decides it.
  • fin 3rd of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, i, decides it.
  • flag 4th of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, l, decides it.
  • fork 5th of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, o, decides it.
  • frog 6th of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, r, decides it.
  • fun 7th of 7. Every word starts with f, so the second letter, u, decides it.

Level 2, second letter: p words 7

  • pan 1st of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, a, decides it.
  • pet 2nd of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, e, decides it.
  • pin 3rd of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, i, decides it.
  • plant 4th of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, l, decides it.
  • pond 5th of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, o, decides it.
  • prize 6th of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, r, decides it.
  • pup 7th of 7. Every word starts with p, so the second letter, u, decides it.

Level 2, second letter: s words 7

  • sand 1st of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, a, decides it.
  • seed 2nd of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, e, decides it.
  • ship 3rd of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, h, decides it.
  • six 4th of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, i, decides it.
  • sled 5th of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, l, decides it.
  • sock 6th of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, o, decides it.
  • sun 7th of 7. Every word starts with s, so the second letter, u, decides it.

Level 2, second letter: t words 7

  • tag 1st of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, a, decides it.
  • ten 2nd of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, e, decides it.
  • thin 3rd of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, h, decides it.
  • tie 4th of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, i, decides it.
  • top 5th of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, o, decides it.
  • tree 6th of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, r, decides it.
  • tub 7th of 7. Every word starts with t, so the second letter, u, decides it.

Level 3, third letter: st words 7

  • stamp 1st of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, a, decides it.
  • stem 2nd of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, e, decides it.
  • stick 3rd of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, i, decides it.
  • stop 4th of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, o, decides it.
  • straw 5th of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, r, decides it.
  • stuck 6th of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, u, decides it.
  • style 7th of 7. Every word starts with st, so the third letter, y, decides it.

Level 3, third letter: be words 7

  • beach 1st of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, a, decides it.
  • bed 2nd of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, d, decides it.
  • bee 3rd of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, e, decides it.
  • beg 4th of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, g, decides it.
  • belt 5th of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, l, decides it.
  • bend 6th of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, n, decides it.
  • best 7th of 7. Every word starts with be, so the third letter, s, decides it.

Level 3, third letter: co words 7

  • code 1st of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, d, decides it.
  • coin 2nd of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, i, decides it.
  • cold 3rd of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, l, decides it.
  • comb 4th of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, m, decides it.
  • cook 5th of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, o, decides it.
  • count 6th of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, u, decides it.
  • cow 7th of 7. Every word starts with co, so the third letter, w, decides it.

Level 3, third letter: ma words 7

  • magic 1st of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, g, decides it.
  • mail 2nd of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, i, decides it.
  • make 3rd of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, k, decides it.
  • man 4th of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, n, decides it.
  • mask 5th of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, s, decides it.
  • math 6th of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, t, decides it.
  • may 7th of 7. Every word starts with ma, so the third letter, y, decides it.

Level 3, third letter: sh words 7

  • shape 1st of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, a, decides it.
  • shed 2nd of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, e, decides it.
  • shin 3rd of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, i, decides it.
  • shop 4th of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, o, decides it.
  • shrub 5th of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, r, decides it.
  • shut 6th of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, u, decides it.
  • shy 7th of 7. Every word starts with sh, so the third letter, y, decides it.

Level 3, third letter: sp words 7

  • space 1st of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, a, decides it.
  • spell 2nd of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, e, decides it.
  • spin 3rd of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, i, decides it.
  • splash 4th of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, l, decides it.
  • spot 5th of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, o, decides it.
  • spring 6th of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, r, decides it.
  • spy 7th of 7. Every word starts with sp, so the third letter, y, decides it.

Mixed: number words 7

  • eight 1st of 7. It comes before five: the first letters are e and f.
  • five 2nd of 7. It comes after eight: the first letters are e and f.
  • four 3rd of 7. It comes after five: the second letters are i and o.
  • nine 4th of 7. It comes after four: the first letters are f and n.
  • one 5th of 7. It comes after nine: the first letters are n and o.
  • seven 6th of 7. It comes after one: the first letters are o and s.
  • three 7th of 7. It comes after seven: the first letters are s and t.

Mixed: days of the week 7

  • Friday 1st of 7. It comes before Monday: the first letters are f and m.
  • Monday 2nd of 7. It comes after Friday: the first letters are f and m.
  • Saturday 3rd of 7. It comes after Monday: the first letters are m and s.
  • Sunday 4th of 7. It comes after Saturday: the second letters are a and u.
  • Thursday 5th of 7. It comes after Sunday: the first letters are s and t.
  • Tuesday 6th of 7. It comes after Thursday: the second letters are h and u.
  • Wednesday 7th of 7. It comes after Tuesday: the first letters are t and w.

Mixed: school words 7

  • grade 1st of 7. It comes before gym: the second letters are r and y.
  • gym 2nd of 7. It comes after grade: the second letters are r and y.
  • paint 3rd of 7. It comes after gym: the first letters are g and p.
  • paper 4th of 7. It comes after paint: the third letters are i and p.
  • pen 5th of 7. It comes after paper: the second letters are a and e.
  • school 6th of 7. It comes after pen: the first letters are p and s.
  • science 7th of 7. It comes after school: the third letters are h and i.

Mixed: more animals 7

  • chicken 1st of 7. It comes before crab: the second letters are h and r.
  • crab 2nd of 7. It comes after chicken: the second letters are h and r.
  • crow 3rd of 7. It comes after crab: the third letters are a and o.
  • shark 4th of 7. It comes after crow: the first letters are c and s.
  • sheep 5th of 7. It comes after shark: the third letters are a and e.
  • snail 6th of 7. It comes after sheep: the second letters are h and n.
  • snake 7th of 7. It comes after snail: the fourth letters are i and k.

Mixed: ca words, short word first 7

  • car 1st of 7. The next word, card, starts with all of car and then goes on, and the shorter word comes first.
  • card 2nd of 7. It starts with all of car and then goes on, and the shorter word comes first.
  • care 3rd of 7. It comes after card: the fourth letters are d and e.
  • cart 4th of 7. It comes after care: the fourth letters are e and t.
  • cat 5th of 7. It comes after cart: the third letters are r and t.
  • catch 6th of 7. It starts with all of cat and then goes on, and the shorter word comes first.
  • cave 7th of 7. It comes after catch: the third letters are t and v.

Mixed: th sight words 7

  • the 1st of 7. The next word, them, starts with all of the and then goes on, and the shorter word comes first.
  • them 2nd of 7. It starts with all of the and then goes on, and the shorter word comes first.
  • then 3rd of 7. It comes after them: the fourth letters are m and n.
  • there 4th of 7. It comes after then: the fourth letters are n and r.
  • these 5th of 7. It comes after there: the fourth letters are r and s.
  • they 6th of 7. It comes after these: the fourth letters are s and y.
  • this 7th of 7. It comes after they: the third letters are e and i.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for this page on 2026-09-20: 24 lists of 7 everyday words, 168 words, no word used twice. Level 1 lists have 7 different first letters; Level 2 lists share the first letter and have 7 different second letters; Level 3 lists share the first two letters and have 7 different third letters; Mixed lists need a different letter from word to word, and two of them hold a short word that starts a longer one (car and card, the and them). A script checked each of those rules, stored every list in the order given by the worksheet tool's own ABC sort (abcOrder in web/engine/widgets/worksheet/sheets.js, which is what prints the answer key), wrote each d line and the x fields (level, place, decidingLetter, shorterWordFirst) from that order, and laid every list out with the tool to confirm it prints as one sheet plus one page of answers on Letter and on A4 with the name line on. No other site's lists were read. Licence: own work

How it works

These abc order worksheets open on a finished sheet: seven animal words in a box, and seven numbered lines to write them on in alphabetical order. Press Print worksheet, or type your own words first, one per line.

Read the full guide

Print a sheet

1. Choose a list in the Word list menu, or type your own words in the box. 2. Press Print worksheet. A list of 7 words prints as one sheet plus one page of answers, on Letter or A4. Shuffle the words mixes the word box again.

First, second and third letter

Level 1 lists have 7 different first letters. In Level 2 every word starts with the same letter, so pupils look at the second. Level 3 goes on to the third letter. Mixed lists change from word to word, and two of them teach that a short word such as car comes before card.

  • Ask pupils to underline the letter that decides each word before they write anything.
  • Keep an alphabet chart in sight at Level 1, so pupils can check which letter comes first.

Questions and answers

What is ABC order?

ABC order, also called alphabetical order, lines words up by their first letter, from a to z. When the first letters match, the second letter decides, then the third. Dictionaries, indexes and class lists are all kept this way.

What if two words start with the same letter?

Look at the second letter of each word. Bat comes before bell because a comes before e. If those match too, go to the third letter: stamp, stem, stick. When one word is the start of another, the shorter word goes first: cat, then catch.

Can I make a sheet from my own spelling words?

Yes. Type up to 20 words in the box, one per line, and the sample list is replaced. The tool sorts the answer key itself, so the key is right for any list. Up to 7 words fit on one page.

Do capital letters change the order?

No. The tool ignores capitals, so Friday, Monday and Sunday sort like friday, monday and sunday. It ignores spaces, hyphens and apostrophes as well, so ice cream is sorted as icecream.

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