Abstract: A device, system, and method are directed towards sorting a set of string or binary data items. A segment of a fixed size from each data item is combined with a pointer to the data item in a word. The words are sorted, and words having equivalent string/binary segments are grouped together. The groups are recursively sorted until no groups remain or the end of the string or binary data in a group is sorted. Methods of the invention include determining a segment size based on a size of a pointer item and a word size, so that a segment and a pointer fit within a word, allowing comparisons and data manipulation to be performed on words.