type sort and kind often mean the same thing, they are often interchangeable, however English speaking cultures have conventions so there are categories that each of the three words dominate. For example, the question "what type of car do you have?" could be asking if it is a sports car, SUV etc. but "what sort of man is he" refers to his character..is he thoughtful, is he cruel, boring etc. Another point to remember is that these words often are included in expressions that mean something entirely different ...ex. "I kind of like it" means "I like it a little" and kind by itself could mean "caring".."he is a kind man".