Sorta Game — the daily ordering puzzle

Sorta Game puzzle #21 · July 31, 2026

Three rounds of five things, each with a hidden scale to sort them by — then one last guess at the theme tying all three together. Here’s what this puzzle asks.

1. Round 1

   Order these sounds by their acoustic frequency, from lowest pitch to highest pitch.

   • The exact middle C note played on a concert grand piano
   • The shrill blast of a referee's pealess sports whistle
   • The constant hum of a North American electrical power transformer
   • The deep communication rumble of an African elephant
   • The silent pulse of a dog training whistle

2. Round 2

   Order these phenomena by the physical length of one complete electromagnetic cycle, from shortest to longest.

   • The ultraviolet radiation inside a tanning bed
   • The cooking radiation inside a kitchen microwave
   • The extremely low-frequency signal sent to a submerged submarine
   • The red glow of a commercial neon sign
   • A diagnostic chest X-ray in a hospital

3. Round 3

   Order these events by the typical physical height of the water disturbance they produce, from lowest to highest.

   • A small pebble dropped into a backyard birdbath
   • The historic 1958 landslide into Alaska's Lituya Bay
   • The passing wake of a large passenger ferry
   • A professional big-surf competition at Nazaré, Portugal
   • A mosquito landing on the surface of a pond

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