Alphabetize List

Alphabetize list online — Sort any list alphabetically

Quickly sort any multiline list into alphabetical order. Use this online alphabetize tool to reorder names, product SKUs, URLs or any text list. The default comparison is case‑sensitive and special characters are significant (they are not ignored).

How to use

• Paste your list into the editor.
• Open the Sort menu and choose Alphabetize.
• Pick options (case-sensitive vs case-insensitive, numeric sort, trim, remove prefixes) and click Apply. Results replace the editor content; use the editor copy action to export.

Behavior & options

• Default mode: case-sensitive comparison — "Apple" and "apple" sort separately unless you choose case-insensitive.
• Special characters are not ignored: punctuation and symbols affect ordering. For example, "a.b" will not equal "ab".
• Numerical sorting is available as an option (for lists with embedded numbers); see Examples below to compare alphabetical vs numeric ordering.
• Pre-clean options: strip HTML, trim whitespace, remove duplicates, remove punctuation or spaces — combine these before sorting for predictable results.
• Stable sort: items that compare equal retain their original relative order (helpful when sorting by a single key in multi-step workflows).

Examples (before → after)

Example 1 — simple names (case-sensitive)

Input:
alice
Bob
aaron
Bobbie

Alphabetize (case-sensitive) Output:
Bob
Bobbie
aaron
alice

If you run Case Converter → lowercase first, output becomes:
aaron
alice
bob
bobbie

Example 2 — special characters (they affect order)

Input:
a.b
ab
a-b
a b

Alphabetize Output (special characters considered):
a b
a-b
a.b
ab

Example 3 — numeric items vs alphabetic sort

Input:
item2
item10
item1

Alphabetical Output:
item1
item10
item2

Numeric-aware Output (numeric sort option):
item1
item2
item10

Workflows — common recipes

• Alphabetize names by last name: use Pattern Extractor or Find & Replace to swap "First Last" → "Last, First", then Alphabetize, then swap back if needed.
• Clean URLs before sorting: run URL Extractor → Append to editor → Remove Duplicates → Alphabetize List.
• Prepare a tidy list: Trim → Remove Punctuation (if desired) → Alphabetize List → Add prefixes/suffixes.
• Sort by length instead: use Sort By Length for different ordering needs.

Tips & edge cases

• Want case-insensitive sort? Run Case Converter → lowercase, then Alphabetize.
• If punctuation or symbols distort ordering, remove them first with Remove Punctuation or Remove Non-Alphanumeric.
• To get unique sorted lists, run Remove Duplicates before or after sorting depending on whether you want to keep the first occurrence.
• For very large lists, browser memory may limit processing; split input or use server-side tools for huge datasets.

FAQ

Is the default sort case-sensitive or case-insensitive?

Default is case-sensitive. Convert the text to a single case first (use Case Converter) to perform a case-insensitive sort.

Does the tool ignore punctuation and special characters when sorting?

No. Special characters and punctuation are significant and affect sort order. Remove or normalize such characters first if you want them ignored.

How do I sort by last name?

Use Pattern Extractor or a Find & Replace to move last names to the front (e.g., "First Last" → "Last, First"), then alphabetize and revert if necessary.

Can I remove duplicates while alphabetizing?

Yes. Either run Remove Duplicates before sorting to preserve the first occurrence, or run it after sorting to produce a unique sorted list.

What if my list contains numbers and I want numerical order?

Use the numeric-sort option (if available) to order numeric substrings by value. Otherwise the standard alphabetical sort will order "item10" before "item2".

Related tools

• Case Converter — normalize case for insensitive sorting.
• Remove Duplicates — make lists unique.
• Remove Punctuation — strip punctuation before sorting.
• Trim — remove leading/trailing whitespace.
• Pattern Extractor — prepare complex keys (swap first/last names).
• Sort By Length — an alternative ordering method.