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Merge sort
one step at a time.

Split in half until pieces have one number, then merge sorted pieces by always taking the smaller front.

Free to use. Step forward and back at your pace, and share a link to the exact step you are stuck on.

What you actually watch.

The part a dry run on paper loses: the state, at every step.

Split in half until pieces have one number, then merge sorted pieces by always taking the smaller front. That sentence is easy to agree with and hard to hold in your head on step nine, which is where most people lose the thread.

So the visualiser keeps it in front of you: every comparison and every swap, pass by pass. The line of code being executed is highlighted as the picture changes, so the drawing and the code never drift apart. Step forward, step back, or let it play.

Put your own input in. Merge sort on a clean example teaches you the shape; merge sort on an empty input, a single element, or one with duplicates teaches you the thing an interviewer asks about.

How it runs, step by step.

The same order the visualiser moves in, so the list and the picture match.

  1. 1Compare two elements and decide which belongs first.
  2. 2Move elements so the part you have handled is in order.
  3. 3Repeat over the rest, shrinking what is still unsorted.
  4. 4Finish when no move is left to make.

What it costs.

The two numbers an interviewer will ask for, and what they mean here.

Time
O(n log n)counted as real operations while it runs, not quoted from a table
Space
O(n)what the algorithm holds besides the input itself
Pattern
SortingHow order is built, one comparison at a time.

Everything in the app, in one place.

Practice, interviews and the tools, all free to start. Swipe to see the rest.

Free to start: 100 AI credits when you sign up and 100 every month. Start free in the app

About merge sort.

Open it in the app and the answers are easier to see than to read.

Open the visualiser
What does the merge sort visualiser show?

Every step of the algorithm on input you choose: every comparison and every swap, pass by pass, with the line of code being executed highlighted beside it. You can step forward, step back, or let it play. Spelled visualizer or visualiser, it is the same tool.

What is the time complexity of merge sort?

O(n log n) time and O(n) space. The visualiser counts the real operations as it runs, so you can watch the number grow instead of taking the formula on trust.

Can I use my own input?

Yes. Type your own array, string or graph and the algorithm runs on that, including the edge cases that break a solution in an interview.

Is it free?

Yes. The app is free to start, with 100 AI credits when you sign up and 100 every month, and watching an algorithm costs no credits.