One typo that's easy to make is: sort file.txt | sponge > file.txt (i.e., using redirection rather than passing the path as an argument to sponge) This is

One typo that's easy to make is: sort file.txt | sponge > file.txt (i.e., using redirection rather than passing the path as an argument to sponge) This is wrong and will not work! I've been bitten by it before.