diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b2abf8c..c67769d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -14,8 +14,7 @@ dispatch Redux actions in response to route changes.
 - [Install](#install)
 - [Usage](#usage)
 - [Behavior](#behavior)
-- [Parameters](#parameters)
-- [Route Matching](#route-matching)
+- [Routes](#routes)
 - [Options](#options)
 - [Navigation](#navigation)
   - [Hash History](#hash-history)
@@ -103,7 +102,35 @@ your application will continue to function when you hit other routes. That also
 means you should ensure you handle any potential errors that could occur in your
 route sagas.
 
-## Parameters
+## Routes
+
+Routes may be expressed as either an object or an array with the main difference 
+being that the array form preserves order and, therefore, the precedence of
+routes.
+
+```js
+const objectFormRoutes = {
+  '/foo': fooHandler,
+  '/bar': barHandler,
+};
+
+const arrayFormRoutes = [
+  { pattern: '/foo', handler: fooHandler },
+  { pattern: '/bar', handler: barHandler },
+];
+```
+
+### Exact Matching
+
+This route will only match `/foo` exactly.
+
+```js
+const routes = {
+  '/foo': saga,
+};
+```
+
+### Path Parameters
 
 You can capture dynamic path parameters by prepending them with the `:` symbol.
 The name you use will be assigned to a property of the same name on a parameters
@@ -125,22 +152,6 @@ const routes = {
 };
 ```
 
-## Route Matching
-
-Here are some examples of how route matching works.
-
-### Exact Matching
-
-This route will only match `/foo` exactly.
-
-```js
-const routes = {
-  '/foo': saga,
-};
-```
-
-### Path Parameters
-
 If you specify a dynamic path parameter, then it will be required. This route
 will match `/bar/42` but NOT `/bar`.
 
@@ -184,6 +195,28 @@ const routes = {
 };
 ```
 
+### Route Precedence
+
+It is often desirable to have some routes take higher precedence over others.
+Consider the case where one route accepts a parameter but for a particular value
+of that parameter, we want to use a separate handler:
+
+```js
+const routes = [
+  { pattern: '/foo/baz', handler: bazHandler },
+  { pattern: '/foo/:arg', handler: genericHandler },
+]
+```
+
+By using the array form to define routes, and placing the specific pattern
+before the general pattern (higher precedence), we can have `bazHandler` invoked 
+whenever the route `/foo/baz` is visited, and `genericHandler` for
+anything else under `/foo`.
+
+Note that if we were to reverse the order of the above routes, `genericHandler`
+would be invoked for both `/foo/baz` and anything else under `/foo`, leaving
+`bazHandler` unreachable.
+
 ## Options
 
 As mentioned earlier, the `router` saga may also take a third argument, an
diff --git a/__tests__/buildRouteMatcher.test.js b/__tests__/buildRouteMatcher.test.js
index 90a34b4..08f7030 100644
--- a/__tests__/buildRouteMatcher.test.js
+++ b/__tests__/buildRouteMatcher.test.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import buildRouteMatcher from '../src/buildRouteMatcher';
 
-test('creates a route matcher', () => {
+test('creates a route matcher by object syntax', () => {
   const rootRoute = () => 'root route';
   const fooRoute = () => 'foo route';
 
@@ -19,6 +19,55 @@ test('creates a route matcher', () => {
   expect(fooMatch.action).toBe(fooRoute);
 });
 
+test('creates a route matcher by array syntax, honouring route order', () => {
+  const fooRoute = () => 'foo route';
+  const fooBarRoute = () => 'foo bar route';
+
+  const descendingSpecificityMatcher = buildRouteMatcher([
+    { pattern: '/foo/bar', handler: fooBarRoute },
+    { pattern: '/foo/:arg', handler: fooRoute },
+  ]);
+  const ascendingSpecificityMatcher = buildRouteMatcher([
+    { pattern: '/foo/:arg', handler: fooRoute },
+    { pattern: '/foo/bar', handler: fooBarRoute },
+  ]);
+
+  const descendingFooMatch = descendingSpecificityMatcher.match('/foo/baz');
+  const descendingFooBarMatch = descendingSpecificityMatcher.match('/foo/bar');
+  const ascendingFooMatch = ascendingSpecificityMatcher.match('/foo/baz');
+  const ascendingFooBarMatch = ascendingSpecificityMatcher.match('/foo/bar');
+
+  expect(descendingFooMatch).not.toBe(null);
+  expect(descendingFooBarMatch).not.toBe(null);
+  expect(ascendingFooMatch).not.toBe(null);
+  expect(ascendingFooBarMatch).not.toBe(null);
+
+  expect(descendingFooMatch.action).toBe(fooRoute);
+  expect(descendingFooBarMatch.action).toBe(fooBarRoute);
+  expect(ascendingFooMatch.action).toBe(fooRoute);
+  expect(ascendingFooBarMatch.action).toBe(fooRoute);
+  expect(ascendingFooMatch.params.arg).toBe('baz');
+  expect(ascendingFooBarMatch.params.arg).toBe('bar');
+});
+
+test('throws an error when given incompatible values for routes', () => {
+  expect(() => {
+    buildRouteMatcher(null);
+  }).toThrow();
+
+  expect(() => {
+    buildRouteMatcher(undefined);
+  }).toThrow();
+
+  expect(() => {
+    buildRouteMatcher('string');
+  }).toThrow();
+
+  expect(() => {
+    buildRouteMatcher(1234);
+  }).toThrow();
+});
+
 test('recognizes fall-through pattern', () => {
   const rootRoute = () => 'root route';
   const fooRoute = () => 'foo route';
diff --git a/src/buildRouteMatcher.js b/src/buildRouteMatcher.js
index e35b454..9bdffcf 100644
--- a/src/buildRouteMatcher.js
+++ b/src/buildRouteMatcher.js
@@ -1,10 +1,24 @@
 import ruta3 from 'ruta3';
 
+function normalizeRoutes(routes) {
+  if (Array.isArray(routes)) {
+    return routes;
+  } else if (routes !== null && typeof routes === 'object') {
+    return Object.keys(routes).map((pattern) => ({ pattern, handler: routes[pattern] }));
+  }
+
+  throw new Error(
+    'Provided routes must either be an object in the form ' +
+    '{ [pattern]: handler }, or an array whose elements are objects in the ' +
+    'form { pattern: string, handler: function }.'
+  );
+}
+
 export default function buildRouteMatcher(routes) {
   const routeMatcher = ruta3();
 
-  Object.keys(routes).forEach((route) => {
-    routeMatcher.addRoute(route, routes[route]);
+  normalizeRoutes(routes).forEach(({ pattern, handler }) => {
+    routeMatcher.addRoute(pattern, handler);
   });
 
   return routeMatcher;