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Ascension (Posted on 2004-02-08) Difficulty: 3 of 5
  1. What is the longest word in the English language in which all the letters are arranged in alphabetical order?

  2. How about reverse alphabetical order?

  3. What is the last word, alphabetically, whose letters are all in alphabetical order?

  4. What is the first word whose letters are all in reverse alphabetical order?

  Submitted by DJ    
Rating: 4.3750 (8 votes)
Solution: (Hide)
beefily/billowy, trollied, tux, ebb.

There are two 7-letter words with letters in ascending alphabetical order, beefily and billowy.
If you want strictly ascending order (no repeated letters), the longest is six, found in abhors, almost, begins, biopsy, chimps, chinos, and ghosty.

For reverse order, the longest word is trollied, with eight letters.
For stricly descending order, the longest words are seven letters long, as in sponged and wronged.

The last word, alphabetically, to be arranged in ascending alphabetical order is tux. If you don't like that word, a derivation of 'tuxedo,' the next last word is sty.

The first word alphabetically whose letters are in descending alphabetical order is just a. If you want a less trivial word, ebb has three letters.
If you want a word with more than one letter that doesn't repeat any letters, the first alphabetically is fa. If you don't like that, try fed.

Charlie wrote a program that produced a more complete list, seen here.

Comments: ( You must be logged in to post comments.)
  Subject Author Date
Some ThoughtsWord ThoughtsK Sengupta2021-12-15 23:40:04
Some Thoughtsre(3): trivia ... more AND LESSAdy TZIDON2004-02-24 17:22:34
re(2): trivia ... morefwaff2004-02-24 10:16:35
re(3): trivia ... moreAdy TZIDON2004-02-15 08:33:01
re(2): trivia ... moreCharlie2004-02-14 11:00:37
Some Thoughtsre: trivia ... moreAdy TZIDON2004-02-14 03:37:38
triviapleasance2004-02-13 14:21:11
re(2): The English langauge is just too funny for words !!Rawlyn2004-02-08 20:23:31
re: The English langauge is just too funny for words !!Gamer2004-02-08 20:00:34
re(3): another word ( no computer) other riversRawlyn2004-02-08 18:55:47
re: no computer at allPenny2004-02-08 18:23:12
Some Thoughtsre: The English langauge is just too funny for words==>Penny !!Ady TZIDON2004-02-08 17:31:11
re(2): another word ( no computer) other riversPenny2004-02-08 16:50:45
re(3): Computer UsedRawlyn2004-02-08 16:10:10
re(2): Computer UsedCharlie2004-02-08 16:00:32
re: another word ( no computer) other riversRawlyn2004-02-08 15:01:11
re: The English langauge is just too funny for words !!Rawlyn2004-02-08 14:56:24
Some ThoughtsThe English langauge is just too funny for words !!Penny2004-02-08 14:41:32
stupid answersRawlyn2004-02-08 14:39:19
re: Computer UsedRawlyn2004-02-08 14:36:23
another word ( no computer)Ady TZIDON2004-02-08 12:04:37
no computer at allAdy TZIDON2004-02-08 11:59:39
Solutionre: Computer Used--BTW, the full outputCharlie2004-02-08 11:17:15
SolutionComputer UsedCharlie2004-02-08 11:09:34
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