Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2022 March 15

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March 15

Alphabetical list

Is there a site (or another free resource) where I could paste a list of a few hundred words and have them ordered alphabetically? It may be more difficult but I'd also like to find a similar way to list them by the number of their letters (such as: cat, dog, bear, bird, horse, giraffe, leopard...). Do you have any idea? Thank you! --79.35.50.40 (talk) 19:26, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

Does installing Python count as a resource? This would be trivially easy to do in Python: here's how to sort a list alphabetically in Python. You can actually use that page as a resource (click "Try it Yourself"), if you can put your list in the right format. To sort by length instead, change the code by replacing sort() with sort(key=len). If you actually install Python it could open a text file and read it line by line, very easily, which saves you having to format it as a Python list ["I", "mean", "like", "this"].

I just tried that site with about 250 words, and it works:

Extended content

['At', 'Et', 'Itaque', 'Nam', 'Nemo', 'Quis', 'Sed', 'Temporibus', 'Ut', 'a', 'ab', 'accusamus', 'accusantium', 'ad', 'adipiscing', 'alias', 'aliquam', 'aliquid', 'amet', 'animi', 'aperiam', 'architecto', 'asperiores', 'aspernatur', 'assumenda', 'atque', 'aut', 'aut', 'aut', 'aut', 'aut', 'aut', 'autem', 'autem', 'beatae', 'blanditiis', 'commodi', 'consectetur', 'consequatur', 'consequatur', 'consequatur', 'consequuntur', 'corporis', 'corrupti', 'culpa', 'cum', 'cumque', 'cupiditate', 'debitis', 'delectus', 'deleniti', 'deserunt', 'dicta', 'dignissimos', 'distinctio', 'dolor', 'dolor', 'dolore', 'dolorem', 'dolorem', 'doloremque', 'dolores', 'dolores', 'doloribus', 'dolorum', 'ducimus', 'ea', 'ea', 'eaque', 'earum', 'eius', 'eligendi', 'enim', 'enim', 'eos', 'eos', 'error', 'esse', 'est', 'est', 'est', 'est', 'est', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'eum', 'eum', 'eveniet', 'ex', 'excepturi', 'exercitationem', 'expedita', 'explicabo', 'facere', 'facilis', 'fuga', 'fugiat', 'fugit', 'harum', 'hic', 'id', 'id', 'illo', 'illum', 'impedit', 'in', 'in', 'incidunt', 'inventore', 'ipsa', 'ipsam', 'ipsum', 'iste', 'iure', 'iusto', 'labore', 'laboriosam', 'laborum', 'laudantium', 'libero', 'magnam', 'magni', 'maiores', 'maxime', 'minima', 'minus', 'modi', 'molestiae', 'molestiae', 'molestias', 'mollitia', 'natus', 'necessitatibus', 'neque', 'nesciunt', 'nihil', 'nihil', 'nisi', 'nobis', 'non', 'non', 'non', 'nostrum', 'nulla', 'numquam', 'obcaecati', 'odio', 'odit', 'officia', 'officiis', 'omnis', 'omnis', 'omnis', 'optio', 'pariatur', 'perferendis', 'perspiciatis', 'placeat', 'porro', 'possimus', 'praesentium', 'provident', 'quae', 'quaerat', 'quam', 'quas', 'quasi', 'qui', 'qui', 'qui', 'qui', 'qui', 'qui', 'quia', 'quia', 'quia', 'quia', 'quibusdam', 'quidem', 'quis', 'quisquam', 'quo', 'quo', 'quod', 'quos', 'ratione', 'recusandae', 'reiciendis', 'rem', 'repellat', 'repellendus', 'reprehenderit', 'repudiandae', 'rerum', 'rerum', 'rerum', 'saepe', 'sapiente', 'sed', 'sed', 'sequi', 'similique', 'sint', 'sint', 'sit', 'sit', 'sit', 'soluta', 'sunt', 'sunt', 'suscipit', 'tempora', 'tempore', 'tenetur', 'totam', 'ullam', 'unde', 'ut', 'ut', 'ut', 'ut', 'ut', 'vel', 'vel', 'velit', 'velit', 'veniam', 'veritatis', 'vero', 'vitae', 'voluptas', 'voluptas', 'voluptas', 'voluptate', 'voluptatem', 'voluptatem', 'voluptatem', 'voluptatem', 'voluptates', 'voluptatibus', 'voluptatum'] ['a', 'ut', 'ab', 'et', 'ut', 'et', 'Ut', 'ad', 'ut', 'ex', 'ea', 'in', 'ea', 'At', 'et', 'et', 'et', 'in', 'id', 'et', 'Et', 'et', 'id', 'et', 'ut', 'et', 'et', 'ut', 'Sed', 'sit', 'rem', 'sit', 'aut', 'aut', 'sed', 'eos', 'qui', 'est', 'qui', 'sit', 'sed', 'non', 'vel', 'eum', 'qui', 'vel', 'qui', 'eum', 'quo', 'eos', 'qui', 'non', 'qui', 'est', 'est', 'Nam', 'cum', 'est', 'quo', 'est', 'aut', 'aut', 'non', 'hic', 'aut', 'aut', 'unde', 'iste', 'ipsa', 'quae', 'illo', 'sunt', 'Nemo', 'enim', 'quia', 'odit', 'quia', 'quia', 'amet', 'quia', 'eius', 'modi', 'enim', 'quis', 'nisi', 'Quis', 'iure', 'esse', 'quam', 'vero', 'odio', 'quos', 'quas', 'sint', 'sunt', 'fuga', 'quod', 'sint', 'omnis', 'natus', 'error', 'totam', 'eaque', 'quasi', 'vitae', 'dicta', 'ipsam', 'fugit', 'magni', 'sequi', 'neque', 'porro', 'ipsum', 'dolor', 'velit', 'ullam', 'autem', 'velit', 'nihil', 'illum', 'nulla', 'iusto', 'atque', 'culpa', 'animi', 'harum', 'rerum', 'nobis', 'optio', 'nihil', 'minus', 'omnis', 'omnis', 'dolor', 'autem', 'rerum', 'saepe', 'earum', 'rerum', 'alias', 'beatae', 'labore', 'dolore', 'magnam', 'minima', 'veniam', 'fugiat', 'quidem', 'libero', 'soluta', 'cumque', 'maxime', 'facere', 'Itaque', 'aperiam', 'dolores', 'ratione', 'dolorem', 'numquam', 'tempora', 'aliquam', 'quaerat', 'nostrum', 'aliquid', 'commodi', 'dolorem', 'ducimus', 'dolores', 'officia', 'laborum', 'dolorum', 'facilis', 'tempore', 'impedit', 'placeat', 'debitis', 'eveniet', 'tenetur', 'maiores', 'voluptas', 'nesciunt', 'quisquam', 'incidunt', 'corporis', 'suscipit', 'voluptas', 'pariatur', 'deleniti', 'corrupti', 'deserunt', 'mollitia', 'expedita', 'eligendi', 'possimus', 'voluptas', 'officiis', 'sapiente', 'delectus', 'repellat', 'inventore', 'veritatis', 'explicabo', 'voluptate', 'molestiae', 'accusamus', 'molestias', 'excepturi', 'obcaecati', 'provident', 'similique', 'assumenda', 'quibusdam', 'molestiae', 'doloribus', 'voluptatem', 'doloremque', 'laudantium', 'architecto', 'voluptatem', 'aspernatur', 'voluptatem', 'adipiscing', 'voluptatem', 'laboriosam', 'blanditiis', 'voluptatum', 'cupiditate', 'distinctio', 'Temporibus', 'voluptates', 'recusandae', 'reiciendis', 'asperiores', 'accusantium', 'consectetur', 'consequatur', 'consequatur', 'dignissimos', 'praesentium', 'repellendus', 'repudiandae', 'consequatur', 'perferendis', 'perspiciatis', 'consequuntur', 'voluptatibus', 'reprehenderit', 'exercitationem', 'necessitatibus']

You might want the output to be formatted in a more useful way though. (This is fixable.) I also notice that it's sorting capital letters separately from lower case, which might not be the desired behavior: that would take another tweak to fix (change it to say sort(key=str.lower)).

For nicer output (a comma separated list): instead of print(thislist), put print(", ".join(thislist)).

 Card Zero  (talk) 20:00, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

Do you have a spreadsheet program? With MS Excel and LibreOffice Calc you can paste a list into a column of cells then sort it, then copy it back out again.

Added: And they have formulae for counting letters, so you can sort by length as well.--Verbarson ^talk_edits 21:11, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

And LibreOffice is of course free. (I can't see anything in the Calc docs about counting letters, but I'm not used to spreadsheets.)  Card Zero  (talk) 21:25, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

LEN(text) --Verbarson ^talk_edits 23:46, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

Oh yes. That works. So the only remaining question (assuming the OP is like me and knows nothing of spreadsheets) is how to populate column B with =LEN(A1), =LEN(A2), etc., automatically, so that it can be used as the sort key. (It's about time I learned this myself.)  Card Zero  (talk) 00:13, 16 March 2022 (UTC)

If cell B1 holds =LEN(A1), then copying it down the column will automatically create B2 =LEN(A2), B3 =LEN(A3). You can usually copy one cell (B1) into a range (eg B2 - B250) as a single action. --Verbarson ^talk_edits 10:48, 16 March 2022 (UTC)

Thanks. In Calc the action is to click the tiny square handle in the bottom-right corner of the cell, and drag down the column. I learned a skill! Hope the OP got something out of this too.  Card Zero  (talk) 11:54, 16 March 2022 (UTC)

In the days of command-line operating systems, sort commands came standard with the operating system; see sort (Unix) for Unix (there was also a sort command that came with MS-DOS). AnonMoos (talk) 23:00, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

I just tried the sort command in a Windows cmd prompt (run->cmd) and it worked. (I did sort<test.txt>test2.txt to turn the file test.txt into the alphabetized file test2.txt.) Doesn't offer an easy way to sort by length, though. Maybe Powershell can sort strings by length? ... yes, I tested and it can! "Get-Content -Path [path] | Sort-Object Length" is the command, where [path] should be replaced with the path to where the unsorted file (one word per line) resides, e.g. C:\Users\yourname\test.txt. This will print the words, sorted by length, to the screen, where they can be copied by selecting and right-clicking. (To open Powershell, it's right-click start menu, run, then type "Powershell".)  Card Zero  (talk) 23:18, 15 March 2022 (UTC)