Just to add to Jay's solution: if the list is really so long that applying
the hidden attribute would be very time consuming, you can use the Search
and replace Dialog to apply the formatting. For example, you can search for
'The' and Replace with 'The' adding the hidden Font Format attribute.

--
Terry Farrell - Word MVP
http://word.mvps.org/

"Jay Freedman" wrote in message
...
: mvnguyen03 wrote:
: I created a numbered list, but want to alphabetize the whole list,
: but have it ignore certain words when alphabetizing, like "the". Can
: anybody help? I'm going insane trying to figure this out!
:
: If you've used automatic list numbering, for example by applying the List
: Number paragraph style, then the numbering won't interfere with the
sorting
: at all -- in fact, the items will automatically be renumbered correctly.
:
: To ignore words during sorting, mark them with the Hidden font format. The
: quick way is to selet the word and press the shortcut Ctrl+Alt+H. Do the
: sort while the Hidden words aren't visible, and then remove the Hidden
: format (press the ¶ button on the toolbar so you can see the hidden words,
: select the whole list, and press Ctrl+Alt+H).
:
: --
: Regards,
: Jay Freedman
: Microsoft Word MVP FAQ: http://word.mvps.org
:
: