OP solved it, closing

Because length can be different. Let's compare the result of aa and c:

using a = 1, etc.
2 < 3
using a = 97, etc.
194 > 99

Because:

Each letter of a word scores points according to its position in the alphabet: a = 1, b = 2, c = 3 etc.

It is defined inside the code.

You should use BigInt.

Look inside your join function.

These are characters from glagolica alphabet.