Meaning & use
alphabetic
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Using or relating to the letters of an alphabet.
Grammar: Usually before a noun: an alphabetic writing system.
Patterns
- alphabetic characters
English uses an alphabetic writing system, unlike Chinese.
The password must include at least one alphabetic character.
Children first learn alphabetic knowledge before reading words.
adjectivebefore a noun
Arranged in the order of the letters of an alphabet; another form of alphabetical.
Grammar: Often replaced by alphabetical in this sense.
Patterns
- in alphabetic order
The files are stored in alphabetic order.
Please put the names into alphabetic sequence.
Common combinations
- alphabetic character
- Enter only an alphabetic character in this box.
- alphabetic order
- The guests are listed in alphabetic order.
- alphabetic writing
- Alphabetic writing uses letters for sounds.
- alphabetic code
- Children learn the alphabetic code in early school years.
- purely alphabetic
- The code is purely alphabetic with no numbers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- alphabetical
- Alphabetical is the usual word for order, while alphabetic often describes a script or character type.
- lettered
- Lettered means marked with letters, not specifically tied to an alphabet system.
- orthographic
- Orthographic concerns spelling rules, not the use of an alphabet.
Opposites
Word family
- alphabet noun
- the set of letters of a language
- alphabetical adjective
- in the order of the alphabet
- alphabetically adverb
- in alphabet order
- alphabetize verb
- to arrange in alphabet order
Commonly confused: alphabetic or alphabetical?
alphabetic vs alphabetical
Alphabetical usually describes order, while alphabetic more often describes things relating to letters themselves.
Practice
The form says that your username may contain only ___ characters, so you cannot use digits.
Choose one answer.
Alphabetic characters are letters. Numeric would mean digits, which the form excludes.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “alphabetic”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.