About Sortix
Sortix is a free daily puzzle on Smotix. Each day it gives you five items from one theme, such as planets ordered by their distance from the Sun, or tech companies ordered by the year they were founded. Put them in the right order, then work out the hidden link that connects four of them.
Sortix is built for people who enjoy connecting facts: history dates, planetary distances, population sizes and similar numbers. You don’t need specialist knowledge. Most players solve it by combining what they know with careful reasoning about the scale of each item.
How to play Sortix
- Read the category and the instruction above the board. They tell you what to sort and in which direction.
- Drag the cards into order. On touch screens you can also use the arrows to move a card up or down.
- Lock in your order. You have three tries to get the sequence right.
- Once the order is correct, each card reveals its value. Tap the one that does not belong, then name the link the other four share.
The two rounds
Round 1: Sort
Look at all five items and put them into the correct sequence. You have three tries. If you use them all up, you can try again three hours later.
Round 2: The Final Clue
Once the order is right, tap the item that does not belong, then name the hidden link the other four share. Hints are available if you get stuck.
Tips for solving
- Start with the items you are most confident about, then place the rest around them.
- Pay attention to the units. Years, kilometres and population counts can differ by orders of magnitude.
- Check whether the sort is ascending or descending before you lock in. Reading the instruction carefully saves a try.
- In Round 2, ask what four of the items have in common. Often the odd one out is the one with a different type, era or setting.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sortix free to play?+
Yes. Sortix is free to play in your browser, with no download and no payment.
When does a new Sortix puzzle come out?+
A new puzzle is published every day at midnight UTC. Each day has its own five items, category and final clue.
What does the number after Sortix mean?+
The number is the puzzle date in YYMMDD format, the same style Smotix uses for daily Wordle. For example, #261015 is the puzzle for 15 October 2026.
What happens if I run out of sorting tries?+
The correct order is not shown. You can try again three hours later, and you get three fresh tries. Round 2 stays locked until the items are sorted correctly.
Do I need to solve both rounds to finish?+
Yes. Sorting the five items sets up Round 2: first tap the item that does not belong, then name the hidden link the other four share. Wrong taps and wrong answers use up your tries, and hints are available.
Past puzzles
Missed a day? Play the last seven puzzles in the archive.
More daily puzzles
If you enjoy Sortix, try daily Wordle, the daily codeword or the daily cryptogram.