To alphabetize means to arrange words, names, or items in the order they appear in the alphabet: A, B, C, and so on through Z. When you alphabetize a list of spelling words, you put all the words starting with A first, then B, then C, continuing until you reach Z.

Libraries alphabetize books by the author's last name, which is why all the books by Beverly Cleary sit together on the shelf, and why you'll find them before books by Roald Dahl. Dictionaries alphabetize every word they contain, making it possible to find xylophone quickly without searching through thousands of entries.

When two words start with the same letter, you look at the second letter to decide which comes first. If the second letters match too, move to the third letter, and so on. That's why “cap” comes before “cat,” and “cat” comes before “cow.”

Before computers, people alphabetized everything by hand: card catalogs in libraries, phone books listing every person in a city, filing cabinets full of patient records. Today, computers can alphabetize thousands of items instantly, but understanding how alphabetization works still helps you find information faster, whether you're looking up a word, finding a book, or organizing your own collections.