Sorta Game — the daily ordering puzzle

Sorta Game puzzle #41 · August 20, 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 diverse mounds, hills, and peaks by their maximum height above their immediate base, from lowest to highest.

   • The natural peak of Arthur's Seat overlooking Edinburgh
   • The prehistoric man-made chalk mound of Silbury Hill in England
   • A regulation Major League Baseball pitcher's mound
   • The volcanic shield of Olympus Mons on Mars
   • A typical asphalt speed bump in a residential zone

2. Round 2

   Order these specific stones and rock-like objects by their physical mass, from lightest to heaviest.

   • A typical calcium oxalate human kidney stone
   • A typical upright sarsen standing stone at Stonehenge
   • The Cullinan Diamond, the largest gem-quality rough diamond ever found
   • A regulation granite curling stone used in the Winter Olympics
   • The massive Uluru sandstone monolith in Central Australia

3. Round 3

   Order these repetitive cyclical phenomena by the duration of one complete loop, from shortest to longest.

   • The complete axial precession of Earth, known as a Platonic Year
   • A single instruction cycle of a 3.0 GHz computer processor
   • One full wingbeat of a hovering ruby-throated hummingbird
   • The constitutionally mandated election cycle for a United States president
   • The recurring observance cycle of the Jewish Sabbath

Browse every past puzzle or play today’s.