The Tausug Alphabet

The alphabetical order in which the main entries of this dictionary are listed is as follows:

' a b ch d g h i j k l m n ng ny p r s t u w y

Note that the apostrophe, symbolizing glottal stop, precedes all other letters. Note also that the letter k is in a different place from previously, following a directive of the Komisyon Sa Wikang Filipino. In addition, ng and ny are treated as units following the alveolar nasal n. Accordingly, for example, the word sa'bu precedes the word sabab because glottal stop comes before b. The word santuk precedes the word sanga since ng is treated as a single unit following n. Finally, vowel length is ignored in alphabetization. When two words differ only in that a vowel of one is short while in the other it is long, the word with the short vowel is listed first (for example ipun "tooth" immediately precedes īpun "slave".)