Sorta — a free daily trivia game and ordering puzzle
Put the world in order… sorta.
Three quiet rounds, five things each, and one hidden way to arrange them. Trust your instinct and see how close your order comes to the truth.
Sorta Game puzzle #72 · September 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.
Round 1
Order these transient information buffers and temporary holding mechanisms from shortest to longest standard retention or decay duration
- A temporary shopping cart reservation hold on an online ticketing platform
- A standard time-based one-time password (TOTP) authentication code
- A standard dynamic RAM (DRAM) capacitor refresh cycle
- Tactile haptic sensory memory of a brief mechanical tap
- Iconic visual sensory memory in human sight
Round 2
Order these information-holding systems and cognitive scratchpads from lowest to highest standard item capacity
- George A. Miller's classic short-term memory chunk limit
- A full international bank account number (IBAN) for the United Kingdom
- A standard North American telephone number with area code
- A human's visual focus of attention during multiple object tracking
- A single suit in a standard deck of playing cards
Round 3
Order these durable record-keeping formats from shortest to longest guaranteed physical archival lifespan under recommended storage conditions
- A reel of archival polyester-base silver-gelatin microfilm
- A reel of 35mm cellulose acetate motion picture film
- A kiln-fired clay tablet with inscribed cuneiform
- A document printed on acid-free cotton rag paper
- A consumer recordable DVD-R disc