Need to find where an element falls alphabetically, or sort a batch of element names for a homework assignment? You're in the right spot. This page lists every one of the 118 confirmed elements on the periodic table in alphabetical order - from Actinium to Zirconium. The tool above also lets you paste your own list and sort it instantly.
The periodic table is usually organized by atomic number, which makes sense from a chemistry standpoint. But when you need to look something up by name - say you're filling out a crossword, checking spelling, or building a study sheet - alphabetical order is way more practical.
Why Alphabetize the Periodic Table?
Students are probably the biggest audience for this. Chemistry classes have you memorizing elements, writing formulas, and matching names to symbols all semester long. Having an alphabetical list makes it easier to scan for a specific element without counting through atomic numbers. If you know the element starts with "M" you can jump straight to the M section instead of trying to remember whether Molybdenum is number 42 or 43.
Teachers and professors use alphabetical element lists too, especially when creating answer keys or organizing lab inventory. And plenty of quiz and trivia apps pull from alphabetically sorted element data when generating questions. It's one of those things that's not glamorous but genuinely useful.
Interesting Patterns in Element Names
When you sort all 118 elements alphabetically, a few things jump out. The letters S and T have the most elements starting with them - Sulfur, Scandium, Selenium, Silicon, Silver, Sodium, Strontium, and more under S alone. Meanwhile, no element starts with J, Q, or W (Tungsten's chemical symbol is W, but its English name starts with T).
A lot of element names come from Latin or Greek. Gold is Aurum in Latin, which gives it the symbol Au. Iron is Ferrum (Fe), Lead is Plumbum (Pb), and Mercury is Hydrargyrum (Hg). So the symbol and the common English name don't always match up, which catches students off guard all the time.
Some of the newer elements are named after scientists - Einsteinium, Curium, Fermium, Nobelium, Mendelevium. Others are named after places: Californium, Berkelium, Tennessine, Moscovium. And Oganesson, element 118 and the most recently named, honors the Russian physicist Yuri Oganessian. It was officially named in 2016.
The Alphabet of Elements at a Glance
Here's a quick breakdown by starting letter. A has 9 elements (Actinium through Astatine). B has 6 (Barium through Bromine). C has 10 - the most of any letter, with heavy hitters like Carbon, Chlorine, Chromium, Cobalt, and Copper all in the mix. On the low end, U has just one (Uranium) and X has just one (Xenon).
Whether you're studying for an exam, putting together a quiz, or just satisfying your curiosity, the full list is right below. And if you want to sort a partial list of elements - maybe just the noble gases, or the transition metals - paste them into the tool at the top and let it do the work. You might also find our Countries in Alphabetical Order, U.S. States in Alphabetical Order, or Fruits in Alphabetical Order pages useful for other reference lists.
Complete List of 118 Elements in Alphabetical Order
- Actinium
- Aluminum
- Americium
- Antimony
- Argon
- Arsenic
- Astatine
- Barium
- Berkelium
- Beryllium
- Bismuth
- Bohrium
- Boron
- Bromine
- Cadmium
- Calcium
- Californium
- Carbon
- Cerium
- Cesium
- Chlorine
- Chromium
- Cobalt
- Copernicium
- Copper
- Curium
- Darmstadtium
- Dubnium
- Dysprosium
- Einsteinium
- Erbium
- Europium
- Fermium
- Flerovium
- Fluorine
- Francium
- Gadolinium
- Gallium
- Germanium
- Gold
- Hafnium
- Hassium
- Helium
- Holmium
- Hydrogen
- Indium
- Iodine
- Iridium
- Iron
- Krypton
- Lanthanum
- Lawrencium
- Lead
- Livermorium
- Lithium
- Lutetium
- Magnesium
- Manganese
- Meitnerium
- Mendelevium
- Mercury
- Molybdenum
- Moscovium
- Neodymium
- Neon
- Neptunium
- Nickel
- Nihonium
- Niobium
- Nitrogen
- Nobelium
- Oganesson
- Osmium
- Oxygen
- Palladium
- Phosphorus
- Platinum
- Plutonium
- Polonium
- Potassium
- Praseodymium
- Promethium
- Protactinium
- Radium
- Radon
- Rhenium
- Rhodium
- Roentgenium
- Rubidium
- Ruthenium
- Rutherfordium
- Samarium
- Scandium
- Seaborgium
- Selenium
- Silicon
- Silver
- Sodium
- Strontium
- Sulfur
- Tantalum
- Technetium
- Tellurium
- Tennessine
- Terbium
- Thallium
- Thorium
- Thulium
- Tin
- Titanium
- Tungsten
- Uranium
- Vanadium
- Xenon
- Ytterbium
- Yttrium
- Zinc
- Zirconium