In the word LEMON, two letters have as many letters between them in the word as they have between them in the English alphabet. Which of these two letters comes earlier in the alphabet?

Introduction / Context:
This question is another example of the letter pair counting type, but it specifically asks you to identify which letter comes earlier in the alphabet in a qualifying pair. The word given is LEMON, and you must compare letter spacing inside the word with spacing in the alphabet. Such questions train your ability to track positions and relationships between letters precisely. They are common in competitive exams because they mix observation with basic counting skills.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The word is LEMON. We are told that there is a pair of letters in this word such that the number of letters between them in the word matches the number of letters between them in the alphabet. Once we locate that pair, we must decide which of the two letters appears earlier in the alphabet. The options are L, N, E, M and O. We assume we must find the most standard pair that exam setters intend, focusing on a non adjacent pair with a clear gap on both scales.

Concept / Approach:
First assign positions to the letters of the word from left to right. Then assign alphabetical positions from A to Z. For each pair of letters in the word, compute the gap in the word (difference of indices minus one) and the gap in the alphabet (difference of alphabetical positions minus one). A pair qualifies if these two gap values are equal. After identifying the relevant pair, we simply check the alphabet order of those two letters and choose the one that comes first.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Write LEMON with positions: L(1), E(2), M(3), O(4), N(5). Now note the alphabetical positions: L is the 12th letter, E is 5th, M is 13th, O is 15th and N is 14th. Consider the pair L and O first, at positions 1 and 4 in the word. There are 2 letters between them in the word (E and M). In the alphabet between L (12) and O (15) there are M and N, again 2 letters. So L O is a valid pair. Another qualifying pair, O and N, is adjacent in the word and also adjacent in the alphabet, so there are zero letters between them in both places. The question typically refers to the pair with a clear gap, namely L and O. Among L and O, L comes earlier in the alphabet.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can check each pair in the word systematically. Pairs like L E, L M, E M, E O, and so on usually show mismatched gaps when you compare word distance and alphabet distance. Only L O and O N show matching gaps. However, O N are simply adjacent letters, while L O demonstrate the classic pattern these questions usually test, with equal non zero spacing in word and alphabet. In either case, when you look at the letters L and O alone, the earlier letter alphabetically is clearly L. Checking this against the alphabetical order A, B, C and so on confirms that L precedes O.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
N, E and M are not members of the primary non adjacent pair that the question is highlighting. While O does form a valid pair with L and another with N, O does not come earlier in the alphabet than L. Among all options listed, only L both belongs to a qualifying pair and is the earlier letter in that pair. Therefore picking N, E, M or O would conflict with the alphabet ordering or misinterpret the intended pair. The exam setter expects you to focus on the L O pair and then choose L as the earlier letter.

Common Pitfalls:
One common mistake is to quickly spot the adjacent pair O N and then mark O without checking which letter comes first alphabetically. Another pitfall is to assume that only one pair exists and to miss the more illustrative pair L O entirely. Some candidates also confuse the requirement and look for equal absolute positions rather than equal gaps. To avoid such errors, first identify all matching gap pairs, then read the exact wording of the question again to see what it asks about those pairs. Finally, compare the qualifying letters in strict alphabetical order before choosing the answer.

Final Answer:
Among the letters that form a qualifying pair in LEMON, the one that comes earlier in the alphabet is L.