Word MindSort Solitaire is a word-sorting puzzle game where you drag words into the correct category groups. Each level gives you a set of words and 2-4 category slots — your job is to figure out which words belong together. Early levels use obvious groupings (colors, animals, fruits), but by level 10+ the categories start overlapping and the word associations become genuinely ambiguous. This guide includes complete answers for levels 1 through 20, along with strategies for reading the category logic when you're stuck.
What Is Word MindSort Solitaire?
Word MindSort Solitaire is a mobile puzzle game built around a single mechanic: sorting words into categories. Each level presents you with a grid of words. Anywhere from 8 to 16 depending on the difficulty, and a set of category labels. You drag each word into the category where it belongs. Get them all right and you advance. Make too many mistakes and you lose a life.
The "solitaire" in the name refers to the single-player, session-based structure. There's no multiplayer, no real-time competition. You work through levels at your own pace, which makes it a good fit for commutes or waiting rooms where you want something mentally engaging but not high-pressure. The game is available on both iOS and Android, free with ads, and an ad-free version runs about $3.
What makes Word MindSort different from a simple vocabulary quiz is the ambiguity. The words themselves are never obscure. You'll recognize every single one. The challenge is figuring out the grouping logic. "Mercury" could be a planet, a chemical element, or a car brand. "Bass" could be a fish or a musical instrument. The game leans into these double meanings heavily in later levels, and that's where most players get stuck.
How to Play
The gameplay loop is straightforward:
- Read the words. Every level starts with all words visible on screen in a scattered grid layout.
- Identify the categories. Category labels appear at the top or bottom of the screen. Sometimes the labels are explicit ("Fruits", "Countries"), sometimes they're vague ("Things that are round", "___ break").
- Drag words into categories. Tap or drag each word into the category you think it belongs to. The game usually accepts words in any order within a category.
- Check your work. After placing all words, hit the confirm button. Correct placements lock in. Wrong placements bounce back to the grid and cost you a mistake.
- Complete the level. Sort every word correctly to pass. Most levels allow 3 mistakes before you fail and have to retry.
The interface also includes a hint system. You start with a small number of free hints, and additional hints cost in-game currency (earned by completing levels) or watching a short ad. Each hint either reveals the correct category for one word or eliminates one incorrect category option for a word you've selected.
Tips and Strategies
Start With the Words You're 100% Certain About
Every level has at least 2-3 words that unambiguously belong to one category. "Strawberry" when there's a "Fruits" category. "Jupiter" when there's a "Planets" category. Sort these first. Each correct placement reduces the remaining possibilities for the ambiguous words, making the rest of the puzzle easier through elimination.
Look for the Connection Between Ambiguous Words
When a word could fit two categories, don't focus on the word in isolation. Look at the other words that are also ambiguous. If "Drum", "Bass", and "Snare" are all in the grid and one category is "Musical Instruments", then "Bass" almost certainly belongs there. Even though "Bass" could also be a fish. Because the game designers grouped it with other percussion/instrument words to signal the intended meaning.
Count the Slots
Each category has a fixed number of word slots. If "Fruits" has exactly 4 slots and you've already correctly placed 3 fruits, only one more word needs to go there. This constraint eliminates a lot of guesswork on the remaining words. Always check how many empty slots each category has before making your next move.
Use the Process of Elimination Aggressively
If three out of four categories are full and one word remains, it has to go in the open category regardless of whether the connection is obvious to you. Don't overthink it. The game occasionally includes a grouping that feels arbitrary, words connected by a pun, a cultural reference, or a pattern you didn't see. And the last-word-standing approach lets you bypass those blind spots entirely.
Save Hints for 4-Category Levels
Levels with 2 categories rarely need hints because the binary choice is manageable through trial and error. Levels with 4 categories and 16 words are where hints become genuinely valuable, because the combinatorial possibilities expand dramatically. If you're going to spend a hint, spend it on a 4-category level where one ambiguous word is blocking your progress on multiple categories simultaneously.
Pay Attention to Category Wording
The category labels are written carefully. "Animals" means the literal animal. "___ animal" means words that precede "animal" in a compound phrase (like "party animal" or "spirit animal"). "Things that can fly" includes airplanes and kites alongside birds. Read the category label twice, literally, before sorting. Many wrong answers come from assuming a category means something it doesn't quite say.
Level Answers (1-20)
Below are the word groupings and correct category assignments for the first 20 levels. Note that Word MindSort Solitaire occasionally rotates level content in updates, so your specific words might differ slightly. These answers reflect the most common version of each level as of early 2026.
Level 1, Colors vs. Animals
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Colors | Red, Blue, Green, Yellow |
| Animals | Dog, Cat, Horse, Eagle |
Level 2. Fruits vs. Vegetables
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Fruits | Apple, Banana, Grape, Mango |
| Vegetables | Carrot, Broccoli, Spinach, Onion |
Level 3, Countries vs. Cities
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Countries | Japan, Brazil, France, Canada |
| Cities | Tokyo, London, Sydney, Berlin |
Level 4. Body Parts vs. Clothing
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Body Parts | Elbow, Knee, Shoulder, Ankle |
| Clothing | Jacket, Scarf, Gloves, Boots |
Level 5. Musical Instruments vs. Sports
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Musical Instruments | Piano, Violin, Drum, Flute |
| Sports | Tennis, Soccer, Golf, Swimming |
Level 6. Weather vs. Emotions
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Weather | Thunder, Hail, Breeze, Fog |
| Emotions | Joy, Anger, Fear, Envy |
Level 7, Kitchen Items vs. Office Supplies
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Kitchen Items | Spatula, Whisk, Colander, Ladle |
| Office Supplies | Stapler, Binder, Marker, Clipboard |
Level 8. Ocean Creatures vs. Birds (First Tricky Level)
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Ocean Creatures | Jellyfish, Octopus, Seahorse, Starfish |
| Birds | Penguin, Robin, Crane, Pelican |
Tricky word: "Penguin" trips people up because penguins live in water, but they're classified as birds. "Crane" can also refer to construction equipment, but with a "Birds" category present, it goes there.
Level 9 — Things That Are Round vs. Things That Are Sharp
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Things That Are Round | Globe, Wheel, Coin, Donut |
| Things That Are Sharp | Needle, Thorn, Blade, Cactus |
Level 10. Planets vs. Greek Gods (3 Categories)
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Planets | Saturn, Neptune, Earth, Venus |
| Greek Gods | Zeus, Athena, Apollo, Hera |
| Car Brands | Mercury, Titan, Eclipse, Odyssey |
This is where Word MindSort gets devious. Mercury is both a planet and a Roman god, but the game puts it in "Car Brands" (Mercury was a Ford brand). Titan and Eclipse are also car models. The trick is recognizing that the third category absorbs all the words with double meanings.
Level 11, ___ Break vs. ___ Light vs. ___ Ball
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| ___ Break | Day, Jail, Heart, Lunch |
| ___ Light | Flash, Moon, Spot, High |
| ___ Ball | Foot, Basket, Snow, Fire |
Compound word levels are a staple of the mid-game. The strategy is to test each word mentally with every suffix: does "Day" + "Break" work? Yes (daybreak). "Day" + "Light"? Also yes (daylight). When a word fits two categories, look at the remaining slots. Whichever category has fewer options left usually claims the ambiguous word.
Level 12. 4 Categories: Seasons, Directions, Card Suits, Elements
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Seasons | Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter |
| Directions | North, South, East, West |
| Card Suits | Heart, Diamond, Club, Spade |
| Classical Elements | Fire, Water, Earth, Air |
"Spring" (season or water spring?), "Club" (card suit or nightclub?), "Diamond" (card suit or gem?). The 16-word, 4-category format is where counting slots becomes essential. Lock in the words you're certain about first, then use elimination.
Level 13, Things in a Hospital vs. Things in a Gym vs. Things in a Library
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Hospital | Scalpel, Gurney, Syringe, Stethoscope |
| Gym | Dumbbell, Treadmill, Bench, Mat |
| Library | Shelf, Catalog, Archive, Atlas |
"Bench" and "Mat" exist in both gyms and other contexts. The game puts them under Gym because the other Gym words (Dumbbell, Treadmill) make the intended grouping clear.
Level 14. Shades of Blue vs. Shades of Red vs. Shades of Green
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Shades of Blue | Navy, Cobalt, Teal, Cerulean |
| Shades of Red | Crimson, Scarlet, Maroon, Ruby |
| Shades of Green | Olive, Sage, Emerald, Lime |
"Teal" is the stumbling block here, it's a blue-green that could plausibly go either way. The game categorizes it under Blue. If you're unsure about a color shade, use your remaining certain words to narrow it down by slot count.
Level 15. Words Containing "Sun" vs. Words Containing "Moon" vs. Words Containing "Star"
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Contains "Sun" | Sunflower, Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunday |
| Contains "Moon" | Moonlight, Moonwalk, Honeymoon, Moonshine |
| Contains "Star" | Starfish, Stardust, Startle, Upstart |
The sneaky entries are "Startle" and "Upstart", you don't normally think of those as "star" words, but the category is about the letter sequence, not the meaning.
Level 16. Famous Johns vs. Famous James vs. Famous Williams
| Category | Words (Last Names) |
|---|---|
| Famous Johns | Lennon, Kennedy, Legend, Wick |
| Famous James | Brown, Dean, Bond, Madison |
| Famous Williams | Shakespeare, Shatner, Murray, Smith |
"Smith" is the tricky one. Will Smith vs. John Smith (historical figure). The game assigns it to Williams. "Bond" goes under James (James Bond, fictional but universally recognized). Knowledge-based levels like this one reward general trivia more than puzzle logic.
Level 17. 4 Categories: Dances, Fabrics, Pasta Shapes, Dog Breeds
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Dances | Waltz, Tango, Salsa, Foxtrot |
| Fabrics | Silk, Denim, Linen, Velvet |
| Pasta Shapes | Penne, Fusilli, Rigatoni, Orzo |
| Dog Breeds | Beagle, Corgi, Poodle, Boxer |
"Salsa" pulls double duty (dance and food), and "Boxer" could be a dog or a fighter. Context from the other category members resolves both, Salsa groups with the dance words, Boxer groups with the dog breeds.
Level 18. Words That Sound Like Numbers vs. Words That Sound Like Letters
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Sound Like Numbers | Won (1), Too (2), Ate (8), Fore (4) |
| Sound Like Letters | Sea (C), Jay (J), Queue (Q), Are (R) |
This is pure wordplay. Say each word out loud and match it to either a number or a letter. "Queue" sounding like "Q" is the one that catches most players.
Level 19 — Things That Melt vs. Things That Bounce vs. Things That Float
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Things That Melt | Ice, Butter, Candle, Chocolate |
| Things That Bounce | Rubber, Spring, Trampoline, Basketball |
| Things That Float | Cork, Balloon, Feather, Raft |
"Ice" melts and also floats in water, but the game assigns it to "Melt" because that's its most defining physical property. "Rubber" bounces but is also used in floating objects. Again, the primary association wins.
Level 20, 4 Categories: Chess Pieces, Zodiac Signs, Chemical Elements, Music Genres
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Chess Pieces | Rook, Bishop, Knight, Pawn |
| Zodiac Signs | Leo, Virgo, Gemini, Scorpio |
| Chemical Elements | Neon, Iron, Argon, Cobalt |
| Music Genres | Jazz, Blues, Punk, Reggae |
Level 20 is a milestone level with clean, distinct categories. The game gives you a satisfying win before the difficulty ramps up again in the 20s. "Cobalt" could seem like a color, and "Iron" has many associations, but with "Chemical Elements" as an explicit category, the sorting is unambiguous.
Why Later Levels Feel Harder
After level 20, Word MindSort Solitaire introduces several mechanics that raise the difficulty:
- Hidden category labels. Some levels don't tell you the category names upfront. You see the words and blank category slots, and you have to figure out both the groupings and what they have in common.
- Red herring words. Starting around level 25, some puzzles include one or two extra words that don't belong to any category. You need to identify and exclude them.
- Abstract associations. Early levels use concrete categories (Fruits, Animals). Later levels use conceptual ones ("Things you can break", "Words that follow 'fire'", "Associated with Monday"). These require lateral thinking rather than factual knowledge.
- Tighter mistake limits. By the level 30s, you're often allowed only 2 mistakes instead of 3, and some challenge levels permit zero mistakes.
The core strategy doesn't change, though. Start with certainties, count slots, eliminate aggressively. The later levels just demand more patience with the ambiguous middle portion of each puzzle.
If you enjoy this kind of puzzle-solving under constraint, you might also want to check out our Brain Test answers guide for another game that rewards creative thinking over brute-force memorization. And for a completely different style of spatial puzzle, our Block Blast tips and strategies guide covers grid-clearing techniques that scratch a similar itch.
Similar Word Puzzle Games
If you've burned through Word MindSort's levels and want something in the same vein, here are a few alternatives worth trying:
- Connections (NYT). The New York Times' daily word-grouping puzzle is essentially the same mechanic as Word MindSort, but with a single puzzle per day and notoriously tricky category overlaps. Free to play on the NYT Games site.
- Word Lanes. A hybrid between crossword and word search where you fill lanes of letters to form words that match category clues. More vocabulary-heavy than Word MindSort.
- Wordscapes. A crossword-meets-anagram game where you swipe letters to form words that fit into a crossword grid. Less about categorization, more about word finding.
- 4 Pics 1 Word. Reverses the Word MindSort formula. Instead of sorting words into categories, you're given images and must identify the common word they represent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Word MindSort Solitaire free to play?
Yes, the base game is free with ads. You'll see interstitial ads between levels and optional rewarded ads for extra hints. There's a one-time purchase (around $2.99-$3.99 depending on your region) to remove all ads permanently. No subscription, no recurring charges. The ad-free version also gives you a small bonus of hint credits.
How many levels does Word MindSort Solitaire have?
The game currently has over 500 levels, with the developers adding new level packs roughly every 4-6 weeks. Levels 1-50 form the core progression with escalating difficulty. Beyond level 50, the game introduces themed packs ("Science Pack", "Pop Culture Pack", "Geography Pack") that you can play in any order. There are also daily challenge levels that rotate every 24 hours and don't repeat.
What should I do when a word fits two categories?
This is the central challenge of the game past level 8 or so. The three most reliable approaches: (1) Sort all the unambiguous words first to reduce the remaining options. (2) Count the empty slots in each candidate category. If one category only has one slot left and the ambiguous word fits, it almost certainly goes there. (3) Look at the other words already in each category for thematic consistency. If "Bass" could go in "Fish" or "Instruments" and the Instruments category already has Drum, Snare, and Guitar, then Bass fits the pattern better there. When all else fails, make your best guess, you usually have 3 mistakes to work with, and using one to resolve an ambiguity is a legitimate strategy.
Does the game have a timer?
Regular levels have no timer. You can think as long as you want. However, the daily challenge mode does use a countdown timer (usually 60-90 seconds depending on the number of words). The timed mode is entirely optional and separate from the main level progression. There's also a "Speed Sort" mini-game mode unlocked after level 30 that uses a 45-second timer and shorter word lists, designed for quick sessions.
Can I replay earlier levels?
Yes. You can revisit any previously completed level from the level select screen. Your best performance (fewest mistakes) is recorded with a star rating. Replaying levels doesn't cost lives or energy. Some players replay the compound-word levels (like Level 11) for practice, since those levels train the skill of thinking through word combinations quickly, a skill that pays off in every later level.
