Boneyard Tools

Sort Words Alphabetically

Sort words alphabetically takes a jumble of words or a list and puts it in order using locale-aware comparison. Split the input by spaces, new lines or commas, sort A to Z or Z to A, fold case so capitals do not jump the queue, and optionally strip duplicates. It is handy for tidying tags, imports, glossaries and any list that needs to be alphabetical.

How to sort words alphabetically

  1. Paste your words or list into the box.
  2. Set 'Separator' to Spaces, New lines or Commas to match how your items are divided.
  3. Choose 'A to Z' or 'Z to A' in the Order menu.
  4. Turn on 'Ignore case' or 'Remove duplicates' if you need them.
  5. Copy the sorted result from the output box.

Examples

Alphabetize words (spaces, A to Z)

banana apple cherry
apple banana cherry

Sort a comma list and remove duplicates

pear, apple, pear, banana
apple, banana, pear

One item per line, Z to A

apple
banana
cherry
cherry
banana
apple

Frequently asked questions

Can I sort one item per line?

Yes. Set the separator to New lines to treat each line as one item. The sorted output keeps one item per line, which is ideal for pasting back into a spreadsheet column or a config file.

Does it sort both A to Z and Z to A?

Yes. Choose 'A to Z' for ascending order or 'Z to A' for descending. Ordering uses locale-aware comparison, so it follows normal dictionary rules rather than raw character codes.

Can it ignore capitalization?

Yes. Turn on 'Ignore case' and 'Apple' and 'apple' are ordered as equals instead of all capitals sorting ahead of lowercase. Your original casing is preserved in the output; only the comparison changes.

How does Remove duplicates work with case?

It keeps the first occurrence in sorted order and drops the rest. With 'Ignore case' on, items that differ only in capitalization count as the same, so 'Apple' and 'apple' collapse to one entry.

How are numbers sorted?

Numbers are compared as text, so '10' comes before '2' because the character '1' sorts before '2'. That is standard alphabetical behavior. For true numeric ordering, use a dedicated number sorting tool.

What separators can I use?

Three: spaces (including tabs and multiple spaces), new lines, and commas. Each item is trimmed and empty items are dropped, so stray spacing around your values does not create blank entries.

Are accented and non-English characters handled?

Yes. Comparison is locale-aware, so accented letters such as e with an accent sort next to their base letter rather than being pushed to the end, and non-Latin scripts order sensibly.

Does it change my words?

No. It only reorders items and, if you ask, removes exact duplicates. The spelling, punctuation and capitalization of each item are left untouched.

Is my text private?

Yes. Sorting runs entirely in your browser and nothing is uploaded, so your list never leaves your device.

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