diff --git a/docs/guide/subtitles.md b/docs/guide/subtitles.md
index f7c96107..8823be19 100644
--- a/docs/guide/subtitles.md
+++ b/docs/guide/subtitles.md
@@ -134,9 +134,16 @@ flags drive selection, sort order, output filenames, and the Matroska track flag
   often uppercase with `>>>` speaker markers and sound cues.
 
 !!! note "SDH and CC are treated together for sorting and stripping"
-    Within a language, unshackle orders subtitles from fewest to most captions:
-    **Forced → Normal → SDH/CC**. For the purposes of hearing-impaired handling, SDH and
-    CC tracks are grouped as the "most captions" variant.
+    unshackle orders subtitles from fewest to most captions: **Forced → Normal → SDH/CC**.
+    For the purposes of hearing-impaired handling, SDH and CC tracks are grouped as the
+    "most captions" variant.
+
+    By default this type order is the primary sort, so all forced tracks come first, then
+    all normal tracks, then all SDH/CC tracks, each block sorted by language. To keep each
+    language next to its own variants instead, set
+    [`subtitle.group_by`](../reference/configuration.md#subtitle) to `language`. Use
+    [`subtitle.type_priority`](../reference/configuration.md#subtitle) to change the
+    Forced → Normal → SDH/CC order itself.
 
 A single track cannot be both CC and SDH, and a forced track cannot also be flagged
 CC or SDH. These combinations are rejected as invalid.
diff --git a/docs/reference/configuration.md b/docs/reference/configuration.md
index 4d9015f5..eec8fb91 100644
--- a/docs/reference/configuration.md
+++ b/docs/reference/configuration.md
@@ -375,7 +375,8 @@ written as sidecar files. See [Subtitles](../guide/subtitles.md) for the full gu
 | `preferred_conversion_method` | str | *(unset)* | Preferred converter when several are available. |
 | `output_mode` | str | `"mux"` | `mux` embeds subtitles in the MKV; `sidecar` writes separate files; `both` writes sidecars and still muxes. |
 | `sidecar_format` | str | `"srt"` | Format for sidecar files when `output_mode: sidecar`. |
-| `type_priority` | list | *(unset)* | Ordered ranking of subtitle types (`forced`, `normal`, `sdh`; CC counts as SDH) that sorts the variants within each language. Types you leave out fall to the end. |
+| `type_priority` | list | *(unset)* | Ordered ranking of subtitle types (`forced`, `normal`, `sdh`; CC counts as SDH). Types you leave out fall to the end. |
+| `group_by` | str | `"type"` | Which key groups the subtitle tracks. `type` puts all forced tracks together, then all normal, then all SDH. `language` keeps each language next to its own variants. |
 
 ```yaml
 subtitle:
@@ -384,11 +385,30 @@ subtitle:
   sidecar_format: srt
 ```
 
+!!! note "`group_by` puts a language next to its own SDH track"
+    The default `type` order groups by subtitle type first, so every normal track comes
+    before every SDH track. In a title with many languages, a track ends up far from its
+    own SDH version, for example Finnish at track 5 and Finnish SDH at track 42. Set
+    `group_by: language` to keep them together:
+
+    ```yaml
+    subtitle:
+      group_by: language
+    ```
+
+    | `group_by` | Result |
+    |---|---|
+    | `type` | Danish, Finnish, French, … Danish SDH, Finnish SDH, French SDH |
+    | `language` | Danish, Danish SDH, Finnish, Finnish SDH, French, French SDH |
+
+    `type_priority` still sets the order of the variants, so with `group_by: language` it
+    controls the order inside each language.
+
 !!! note "`type_priority` also picks the default subtitle"
-    `type_priority` sorts the tracks within each language, and at mux time the first track
-    in the default subtitle language gets the `default` flag. The built-in order is `forced`,
-    `normal`, `sdh`, which means a forced track becomes default whenever one exists. If you
-    want the full dialogue track as default instead, set:
+    At mux time the first track in the default subtitle language gets the `default` flag.
+    The built-in order is `forced`, `normal`, `sdh`, which means a forced track becomes
+    default whenever one exists. If you want the full dialogue track as default instead,
+    set:
 
     ```yaml
     subtitle:
diff --git a/tests/tracks/test_subtitle_sort.py b/tests/tracks/test_subtitle_sort.py
index 5251603e..d114eae0 100644
--- a/tests/tracks/test_subtitle_sort.py
+++ b/tests/tracks/test_subtitle_sort.py
@@ -66,3 +66,72 @@ def test_cc_counts_as_sdh() -> None:
     t.add([sub("en", cc=True), sub("en")])
     t.sort_subtitles(by_language=["en"], type_priority=["normal", "sdh"])
     assert shape(t) == [("en", "normal"), ("en", "sdh")]
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def unprioritised() -> Tracks:
+    """Languages that no by_language argument floats to the top."""
+    t = Tracks()
+    t.add([sub("fi", sdh=True), sub("fi"), sub("de", sdh=True), sub("de")])
+    return t
+
+
+def test_type_grouping_separates_a_language_from_its_sdh(unprioritised: Tracks) -> None:
+    unprioritised.sort_subtitles()
+    assert shape(unprioritised) == [
+        ("de", "normal"),
+        ("fi", "normal"),
+        ("de", "sdh"),
+        ("fi", "sdh"),
+    ]
+
+
+def test_language_grouping_keeps_a_language_with_its_sdh(unprioritised: Tracks) -> None:
+    unprioritised.sort_subtitles(group_by="language")
+    assert shape(unprioritised) == [
+        ("de", "normal"),
+        ("de", "sdh"),
+        ("fi", "normal"),
+        ("fi", "sdh"),
+    ]
+
+
+def test_language_grouping_still_honours_type_priority_and_sections(tracks: Tracks) -> None:
+    # de sits outside by_language, where type-major sorting would interleave it with en
+    tracks.add([sub("de"), sub("de", sdh=True)])
+    tracks.sort_subtitles(by_language=["it"], type_priority=["normal", "sdh", "forced"], group_by="language")
+    assert shape(tracks) == [
+        ("it", "normal"),
+        ("it", "forced"),
+        ("de", "normal"),
+        ("de", "sdh"),
+        ("en", "normal"),
+        ("en", "sdh"),
+        ("en", "forced"),
+    ]
+
+
+def test_language_grouping_keeps_regional_variants_adjacent_through_sections() -> None:
+    # "en" floats en-GB and en-US as one block, so each exact tag keeps its variants
+    t = Tracks()
+    t.add(
+        [
+            sub("en-US", sdh=True),
+            sub("fi"),
+            sub("en-GB"),
+            sub("en-US"),
+            sub("fi", sdh=True),
+            sub("en-GB", forced=True),
+            sub("en-GB", sdh=True),
+        ]
+    )
+    t.sort_subtitles(by_language=["en"], group_by="language")
+    assert shape(t) == [
+        ("en-GB", "forced"),
+        ("en-GB", "normal"),
+        ("en-GB", "sdh"),
+        ("en-US", "normal"),
+        ("en-US", "sdh"),
+        ("fi", "normal"),
+        ("fi", "sdh"),
+    ]
diff --git a/unshackle/commands/dl.py b/unshackle/commands/dl.py
index 685ac411..a8615afb 100644
--- a/unshackle/commands/dl.py
+++ b/unshackle/commands/dl.py
@@ -2397,7 +2397,11 @@ class dl:
                     by_language=processed_audio_sort_lang,
                     codec_priority=config.audio.get("codec_priority"),
                 )
-                title.tracks.sort_subtitles(by_language=s_lang, type_priority=config.subtitle.get("type_priority"))
+                title.tracks.sort_subtitles(
+                    by_language=s_lang,
+                    type_priority=config.subtitle.get("type_priority"),
+                    group_by=config.subtitle.get("group_by"),
+                )
 
             if list_:
                 available_tracks, _ = title.tracks.tree()
diff --git a/unshackle/core/tracks/tracks.py b/unshackle/core/tracks/tracks.py
index 5c4207d8..02bb6d9d 100644
--- a/unshackle/core/tracks/tracks.py
+++ b/unshackle/core/tracks/tracks.py
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ class Tracks:
         self,
         by_language: Optional[Sequence[Union[str, Language]]] = None,
         type_priority: Optional[Sequence[str]] = None,
+        group_by: Optional[str] = None,
     ) -> None:
         """
         Sort subtitle tracks by various track attributes to a common P2P standard.
@@ -299,30 +300,46 @@ class Tracks:
           - then rest ascending alphabetically after the prioritized groups
           (Each section ascending alphabetically, but separated)
 
-        Language Group Order:
+        Type Order:
           - Forced
           - Normal
           - Hard of Hearing (SDH/CC)
           (Least to most captions expected in the subtitle)
 
-        type_priority overrides the Language Group Order with an explicit ranking of
-        "forced", "normal", and "sdh" (cc counts as sdh); unlisted types fall to the end.
-        The first track after sorting receives the default flag at mux time, so this also
-        controls which subtitle type becomes default.
+        type_priority overrides the Type Order with an explicit ranking of "forced",
+        "normal", and "sdh" (cc counts as sdh); unlisted types fall to the end.
+
+        group_by sets the major key. "type" (default) keeps every forced track together,
+        then every normal, then every SDH, each block ascending by language. "language"
+        groups by language instead, so Finnish sits next to Finnish SDH, with the Type
+        Order applied inside each language.
         """
         if not self.subtitles:
             return
-        # language groups
-        self.subtitles.sort(key=lambda x: str(x.language))
-        if type_priority:
-            rank = {str(t).lower(): i for i, t in enumerate(type_priority)}
-            default_rank = len(rank)
-            self.subtitles.sort(
-                key=lambda x: rank.get("forced" if x.forced else "sdh" if (x.sdh or x.cc) else "normal", default_rank)
-            )
+
+        def by_type() -> None:
+            if type_priority:
+                rank = {str(t).lower(): i for i, t in enumerate(type_priority)}
+                default_rank = len(rank)
+                self.subtitles.sort(
+                    key=lambda x: rank.get(
+                        "forced" if x.forced else "sdh" if (x.sdh or x.cc) else "normal", default_rank
+                    )
+                )
+            else:
+                self.subtitles.sort(key=lambda x: x.sdh or x.cc)
+                self.subtitles.sort(key=lambda x: x.forced, reverse=True)
+
+        def by_lang() -> None:
+            self.subtitles.sort(key=lambda x: str(x.language))
+
+        # stable sorts, so the last pass is the major key
+        if str(group_by or "type").lower() == "language":
+            by_type()
+            by_lang()
         else:
-            self.subtitles.sort(key=lambda x: x.sdh or x.cc)
-            self.subtitles.sort(key=lambda x: x.forced, reverse=True)
+            by_lang()
+            by_type()
         # sections
         for language in reversed(by_language or []):
             if str(language) == "all":