Sorta — a free daily trivia game and ordering puzzle

Sorta Game puzzle #68 · September 16, 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 subjects whose names feature the word 'shadow' by their earliest historical origin, debut, or release, from oldest to most recent.

   • The acclaimed PlayStation 2 video game 'Shadow of the Colossus'
   • The personal cosmetic product known as eyeshadow
   • The experimental U.S. Navy stealth ship 'Sea Shadow'
   • The traditional Indonesian art of Wayang shadow puppetry
   • The iconic American mystery radio drama 'The Shadow'

2. Round 2

   Order these physical tethers or restraints by their maximum tensile strength before breaking, from weakest to strongest.

   • A pair of standard law enforcement steel handcuffs
   • A standard plastic zip tie used for cable management
   • A single continuous thread from a domesticated silkworm's cocoon
   • A heavy-duty Kevlar off-road vehicle recovery tow strap
   • The main steel suspension cables of the Golden Gate Bridge

3. Round 3

   Order these periods of strict confinement, isolation, or mandated holding by their standard or historical duration, from shortest to longest.

   • A minor infraction served in a professional ice hockey penalty box
   • The foundational maritime isolation of arriving ships in Venice that coined the word 'quarantine'
   • A standard public health rabies observation hold for a biting domestic pet
   • The continuous sealed enclosure of the first human crew inside the Biosphere 2 facility
   • The historic political imprisonment of Nelson Mandela in South Africa

Browse every past puzzle or play today’s.