Arrange water,ethanol and phenol in increasing order of acidity and give reason for your answer.

(N/A) The acidic strength of a substance depends on the stability of the conjugate base. The more stable the conjugate base,the stronger the acid.
$1$. Phenol forms a phenoxide ion,which is stabilized by resonance.
$2$. Water forms a hydroxide ion,which is less stable than the phenoxide ion but more stable than the ethoxide ion.
$3$. Ethanol forms an ethoxide ion,where the $+I$ effect of the ethyl group increases the electron density on the oxygen atom,destabilizing the conjugate base.
Therefore,the order of acidic strength is: $\text{ethanol} < \text{water} < \text{phenol}$.