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    Try sorting the output of printf %s\\n 111 10 2 22... first time use sort then sort -n (the latter meaning sort by arithmetic value) Commented Jul 30, 2017 at 20:02
  • @don_crissti But, my main source of confusion is when mixed character strings are used. How would you explain the difference in that case? Commented Jul 30, 2017 at 20:10
  • And how does the documentation make that distinction? It should be described in the documentation. Commented Jul 30, 2017 at 20:13
  • It's all in the info page... "An empty number is treated as ‘0’" and "Finally, as a last resort when all keys compare equal, ‘sort’ compares entire lines as if no ordering options other than ‘--reverse’ (‘-r’) were specified." so printf %s\\n b2 a3 | sort -n is the same as printf %s\\n 0b2 0a3 | sort Commented Jul 30, 2017 at 20:16
  • @don_crissti What is an empty number? Commented Jul 30, 2017 at 20:22