WD: How to Sort Words Separated by a Space

MORE INFORMATION

To sort information that is delimited by spaces, follow these steps:

1. Confirm that each row contains the same number of fields. For example, if you are sorting a list of names and some names include a middle initial while others do not, the sort is not completed correctly.
   
   NOTE: If you add a non-breaking space between some fields and use the SPACEBAR for others, and then sort on a space, only the space (not the non-breaking space) will be used to sort. For example, if you want to sort on last names, but your data includes honorifics or middle initials, insert non-breaking (CTRL+SHIFT+SPACEBAR) spaces in the following positions:
   
   Dr.<nonbreaking space>Andrew Gray (This will sort on the space between Andrew and Gray.)
   
   Andrew Gray<nonbreakingspace>,MD (This will sort on the space between Andrew and Gray.)
   
   Andrew<nonbreaking space>P. Gray (This will sort on the space between P. and Gray.)
2. Select the list.
3. On the Table menu, click Sort.
4. Click Options, select Other, type a space in the text box, and then click OK.
5. Click OK again.
   
   NOTE: This closes the Sort Text dialog box, which will not list all of the fields to sort by until you reopen the dialog box.
6. On the Table menu, click Sort.
7. In the Select By list, select Word 2 (or another field you want to sort by), choose a Type, select Ascending or Descending order, and then click OK.

The list is now sorted by last name.