Question

If all you know about the spelling of a word are the first two or three letters, how can you find the word in a dictionary?

ask someone for the full spelling of the word

sound it out and try to guess the spelling

read through all the words that start with those letters

check the guide words at the top of the page

Answer 1

Check the guide words at the top of the page — they show the first and last entries on that page, letting you quickly find the section containing the word.