Question:medium

If all the letters of the word 'HANDLE' are permuted in all possible ways and the words (with or without meaning) thus formed are arranged in dictionary order, then the rank of the word 'HELAND' is

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Always arrange the letters alphabetically first: A, D, E, H, L, N. Be systematic: fix the first letter, count permutations of the rest, and proceed only when the fixed letter matches the target word.
Updated On: Mar 30, 2026
  • 420
  • 422
  • 456
  • 475
Show Solution

The Correct Option is B

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
To find the rank of a word in a dictionary, we list words alphabetically and count how many come before the target word 'HELAND'. The letters in 'HANDLE' in alphabetical order are: A, D, E, H, L, N.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Total letters = 6. Target word: H E L A N D. 1. Words starting with A: Fix A at the first position. Remaining 5 letters can be arranged in \( 5! \) ways. \( 1 \times 5! = 120 \).
2. Words starting with D: Fix D at the first position. Remaining 5 letters can be arranged in \( 5! \) ways. \( 1 \times 5! = 120 \).
3. Words starting with E: Fix E at the first position. Remaining 5 letters can be arranged in \( 5! \) ways. \( 1 \times 5! = 120 \).
4. Words starting with H: The target word starts with H, so we lock H. Remaining letters to order: A, D, E, L, N.
- Start with HA: (Next available alphabetical letter is A) Remaining 4 letters: \( 4! = 24 \).
- Start with HD: Remaining 4 letters: \( 4! = 24 \).
- Start with HE: (Matches target) Lock E. Remaining letters: A, D, L, N.
- Start with HEA: Remaining 3 letters: \( 3! = 6 \).
- Start with HED: Remaining 3 letters: \( 3! = 6 \).
- Start with HEL: (Matches target)
Lock L. Remaining letters: A, D, N. - Start with HELA: (Matches target)
Lock A. Remaining letters: D, N. Alphabetical order for remaining: D, then N.
- HELADN: This is the first word. (Rank + 1)
- HELAND: This is the next word. (Rank + 1)
Summing up:
Rank = (Words starting A, D, E) + (HA, HD) + (HEA, HED) + (HELADN) + 1 \[ \text{Rank} = (3 \times 120) + (2 \times 24) + (2 \times 6) + 1 + 1 \] \[ = 360 + 48 + 12 + 2 \] \[ = 422 \]
Step 4: Final Answer:
The rank of the word 'HELAND' is 422.
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