Arrange the following words in correct dictionary order: 1. Incompatible, 2. Incomparable, 3. Incongruous, 4. Inconsistent.

Introduction / Context:
This verbal reasoning question tests your understanding of dictionary order, which is essentially alphabetical order. You are given four words that all start with the same prefix and asked to arrange them as they would appear in a dictionary. This kind of question develops careful attention to letter sequences beyond just the first one or two characters in each word.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The four words are Incompatible, Incomparable, Incongruous and Inconsistent.
• They are labelled as 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively.
• We must determine the sequence in which these words would appear in a standard English dictionary.
• All words are spelled correctly, and standard English alphabetical rules apply.
• We need to compare letters from left to right until a difference is found.

Concept / Approach:
To arrange words in dictionary order, compare them letter by letter starting from the left. When the first differing letter is reached, the word with the letter that comes earlier in the alphabet comes first. Since all four words begin with the same starting fragment “Inco” or “Incom”, we must look beyond the initial letters to find the correct order. It is usually easier to write the words in a column and compare them at the position where they differ.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the words with labels: 1. Incompatible, 2. Incomparable, 3. Incongruous, 4. Inconsistent.Step 2: Compare words 1 and 2. Both start with “Incom”. The next letters are “p” in Incompatible and “p” in Incomparable, so keep going. Then we have “a” in Incomparable and “p” in Incompatible. Since “a” comes before “p”, Incomparable (2) comes before Incompatible (1).Step 3: Next compare words starting with “Incon”. We have Incongruous (3) and Inconsistent (4). Both share “Incons” until the letter after “s”, where Incongruous has “g” and Inconsistent has “i” later, but actually the third word is Incongruous (with “g”) and the fourth is Inconsistent (with “s” then “i”). The differing letter is “g” versus “s” after the shared prefix “Incon”. Since “g” comes before “s” in the alphabet, Incongruous (3) comes before Inconsistent (4).Step 4: Now combine the findings. Among 1 and 2, the order is 2, then 1. Among 3 and 4, the order is 3, then 4. None of the “Incon” words come before the “Incom” words, so the final dictionary order is 2, 1, 3, 4.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick alternative check is to group words by their first four letters. Both Incompatible and Incomparable start with “Incom”, and any word starting with “Incom” will appear before words starting with “Incon” because “m” comes before “n”. Thus, 2 and 1 must come before 3 and 4. Then, within each group, repeat the same letter by letter comparison, which confirms that the correct sequence is 2, 1, 3, 4.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a suggests 2, 1, 4, 3, which incorrectly places Inconsistent before Incongruous. Option b and option c place “Incon” words before “Incom” words, which contradicts the alphabetical rule because “m” comes before “n”. Therefore they cannot reflect true dictionary order. Only option d respects both grouping and internal order correctly.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners stop comparing after the first few common letters and then guess, especially when words share long prefixes. It is important to continue comparing until the first different letter. Another common mistake is to compare entire syllables or meanings rather than strict letter order. For dictionary based questions, only exact character sequences matter.

Final Answer:
The correct dictionary order of the words is 2, 1, 3, 4, which is Incomparable, Incompatible, Incongruous, Inconsistent.