Gnome Sort Visualization

Gnome Sort steps forward while neighbours are in order and steps back, swapping, when they aren't.

How it works

Gnome Sort works like a garden gnome sorting flower pots. It looks at the pot in front of it: if it's in order with the previous one, it steps forward; if not, it swaps them and steps back. It keeps walking until it reaches the end.

It is effectively Insertion Sort done with swaps instead of shifts, so it is O(n²) on random data and close to linear on nearly sorted data. It is stable and uses a single loop with no nesting, which makes it one of the simplest sorts to write.

What to watch for

Watch the cursor run forward, then walk a value backwards step by step until it fits, then run forward again.

Complexity

Best

n

Average

n²

Worst

n²

Extra space

1

Stable

Yes

Race it

Same shuffle, same speed, one winner: Gnome vs Insertion. Or open the studio to try other layouts, sizes and speeds, and make a video of it.

FAQ