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Grokking the Coding Interview Patterns in Python

Solution: Shortest Word Distance II

Explore how to implement a WordDistance class that records word positions and uses a two-pointer method to efficiently find the shortest distance between any two given words in a list. This lesson helps you understand constructing custom data structures and applying optimal search algorithms.

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Statement

Design a data structure that takes in an array of strings and efficiently computes the shortest distance between any two different strings in the array.

Implement the WordDistance class:

  • WordDistance(String[] words_dict): Initializes the object with an array of strings.

  • int shortest(String word1, String word2): Returns the shortest distance between word1 and word2 in the array of strings.

Constraints:

  • 1≤1 \leq words_dict.length ≤103\leq10^3 ...