# Longest word in alphabetical order?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [April 27, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296 "2004-04-27T16:17:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/1 "2004-04-27T16:17:59Z")
A simple question: what’s the longest common (or uncommon) word in the English language where the letters are in alphabetical order? The longest one I can think of offhand is “abbess” with six letters, but I’m sure there’s longer.
---
### Author:  [@Pablito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pablito)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/2 "2004-04-27T17:00:18Z")
I used to hear Big Bird, of Sesame Street, sing about one that he pronounced this way: “Ab-ka-def-hig-jekyll-ma-nop-per-cue-verks-is”. I’m not sure of the spelling, but IIRC it was indeed alphabetical.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.
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### Author:  [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/3 "2004-04-27T17:03:09Z")
AEGILOPS – See [here](http://members.aol.com/gulfhigh2/words1.html) about 6 paragraphs down.
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/4 "2004-04-27T17:32:34Z")
**billowy**
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### Author:  [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/5 "2004-04-27T19:25:07Z")
> [@Pablito](#):
>
> I’m not sure of the spelling, but IIRC it was indeed alphabetical.
>
> Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Seriously? The word that Big Bird was saying **was** the alphabet.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/6 "2004-04-27T19:28:05Z")
Hmm…I don’t think “woosh” would count as one, would it?
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### Author:  [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/7 "2004-04-27T19:37:49Z")
> [@Pablito](#):
>
> I used to hear Big Bird, of Sesame Street, sing about one that he pronounced this way: “Ab-ka-def-hig-jekyll-ma-nop-per-cue-verks-is”.
[nitpick]
“Ab-ka-def-ghee-jekyll-ma-nop-curse-stew-voo-ksiz”.
[/nitpick]
😃
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### Author:  [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/8 "2004-04-27T19:45:46Z")
No, it was more like
“Ab-ka-def-ghi-jekyll-ma-nop-kwer-stoov-wix-iz”
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/9 "2004-04-27T21:00:43Z")
Are you people dense?
Big Bird sang:
“Ab-cd-ef-ghi-jk-lmno-pqrs-tuv-wxyz.” Hello? “Alphabet Song” ring a bell?
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### Author:  [@h.sapiens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/h.sapiens)
#### Post date: [April 27, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/10 "2004-04-27T21:06:46Z")
**Chefguy** , see **Captain Amazing** ’s post above.
I think **Scarlett67** got it.
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### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/11 "2004-04-28T01:07:07Z")
I see “aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” in comic books a lot.
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### Author:  [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2004, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/12 "2004-04-28T05:03:33Z")
How about alloquy, beefily, begorry, billowy, and egilops with seven?
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### Author:  [@Bob55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob55)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2004, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/13 "2004-04-28T06:10:50Z")
So what’s the longest word backwards?
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/14 "2004-04-28T06:28:28Z")
6 abbess
6 abcees
6 abhors
6 accent
6 accept
6 access
6 accloy
6 accost
6 achoos
6 acknow
6 addeem
6 adders
6 addios
6 adeems
6 adoors
6 afflux
6 agloos
6 almost
6 begilt
6 begins
6 begirt
6 beknot
6 bellow
6 bijoux
6 billow
6 biopsy
6 bloops
6 blotty
6 cellos
6 chikor
6 chills
6 chilly
6 chimps
6 chinos
6 chintz
6 chippy
6 chirrs
6 chitty
6 chivvy
6 choosy
6 choppy
6 cloops
6 clotty
6 deffly
6 dehort
6 dekkos
6 dikkop
6 efflux
6 effort
6 ellops
6 fillos
6 floors
6 floosy
6 floppy
6 flossy
6 ghosty
6 gimmor
6 gloops
6 gloopy
6 gloppy
6 glossy
6 hillos
6 knotty
7 addeems
7 beefily
7 billowy
7 chikors
7 dikkops
7 gimmors
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2004, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/15 "2004-04-28T06:30:52Z")
7 pigfeed
7 skiffed
7 sniffed
7 snigged
7 soogeed
7 spiffed
7 sponged
7 spoofed
7 spooked
7 spooled
7 spoomed
7 spooned
7 tommied
7 trigged
7 trogged
7 trolled
7 troolie
7 vroomed
7 woolled
7 wronged
8 spoonfed
8 trollied
9 spoonfeed
(I like backwards better, as there’s one word at the top, and it’s not obscure)
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### Author:  [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)
#### Post date: [April 28, 2004, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-word-in-alphabetical-order/242296/16 "2004-04-28T06:32:12Z")
for those that care:
```auto
#include
#include
#include
#include
#define BUFFERSIZE 8192
#define MAXLEN 40
#define DICT_FILE "/usr/share/dict/words"
main( int argc, char **argv ) {
char word [MAXLEN];
int len;
FILE *fptr;
if( !( fptr = fopen( DICT_FILE, "rt" ) ) ) {
printf( "Cannot open Wordfile!
" );
exit( 1 );
}
if( setvbuf( fptr, NULL, _IOFBF, BUFFERSIZE * 2 ) )
exit ( 1 );
while( fgets( word, MAXLEN, fptr ) != NULL ) {
if( ( len=isinorder( word )) > 0 ) {
printf( "%d %s", len, word );
}
}
}
int isinorder( char *word ) {
char last = 127;
int len = 0;
for( ; *word != '
'; word++ ) {
if( tolower( *word ) > last ) {
return 0;
}
last = tolower( *word );
len++;
}
return len;
}
```