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Up to group isomorphism, the finite groups with at most six elements are the trivial group, the cyclic groups $C_2,C_3,C_4,C_5,C_6$, the Klein four-group $C_2\times C_2$, and the symmetric group $S_3$.

A group of prime cardinality is a cyclic group, since Lagrange's theorem forces any nonidentity element to generate it. For four elements, either an element has order of a group element four, or every nonidentity element is an involution. In the latter case the group of exponent two is abelian identity shows that two distinct nonidentity elements $a,b$ generate $\{e,a,b,ab\}\cong C_2\times C_2$.

For a group of order six, either an element generates it or some element $a$ has order of a group element three: otherwise all nonidentity elements would be involutions, producing a four-element subgroup in contradiction with Lagrange's theorem. Pairing each element with its inverse element gives an involution $b$ outside $⟨a⟩$. The subgroup $⟨a⟩$ has index of a subgroup two and is a normal subgroup, so $ba{b}^{-1}=a$ or $a^{-1}$. The commuting case makes $ab$ have order of a group element six, whereas the second case gives the multiplication rules of $S_3$ on the six distinct elements $a^i,a^{i}b$, $0\le i<3$.

All these groups embed in $S_4$ except $C_5$ and $C_6$. The former is excluded by Lagrange's theorem; the latter is excluded because the disjoint cycle decomposition of a permutation of four letters cannot have least common multiple of cycle lengths equal to six.

If an element has order six, it generates $G$, so $G\cong C_6$. Otherwise choose an element $x$ of order three. The preceding result excludes any further order-three elements outside $\{e,x,x^2\}$, and there are no elements of order six by assumption. Each of the other three elements must therefore have order two. ThusThe noncyclic case is the symmetric group on three points, as the classification of a group of order six further identifies.

In a group of order six, element orders divide six. If there were no element of order three or six, every nonidentity element would have order two, making the group abelian by the preceding argument. Choose $a\ne e$ and $b\notin \{e,a\}$. Then $\{e,a,b,ab\}$ is a subgroup of order four: its elements are distinct, it is closed because $a,b$ commute and square to $e$, and each element is its own inverse. This contradicts Lagrange's theorem, since four does not divide six. Hence an element of order three or six exists.

The permutation group of a three-element set has six elements: the identity, three transpositions, and two three-cycles. A three-cycle and any transposition generate it, with relations $x^3=h^2=e$, $hx{h}^{-1}=x^{-1}$. Its alternating group is the normal cyclic subgroup of order three. It is the unique nonabelian isomorphism type of a group of order six.