mediumTries

Design Add and Search Words Data Structure

Store words and support searches where a dot matches any single character. Other characters must match exactly.

LeetCode ↗

Work through the cases

3 examples

Input notation

Commands add word or search pattern, one per line. Words use lowercase letters.

Expected result

true or false for each search.

Case 1

Input

add cat
search c.t
search c..s

Expected output

true
false

Case 2

Input

add dog
search ...
search cat

Expected output

true
false

Case 3

Input

add a
search .
search ..

Expected output

true
false

These notes use simplified input/output notation. The linked platform defines the method signature and judge format.

FROM IDEA TO IMPLEMENTATION

Understand the approach.

Compare the documented approaches below. Brute force, better, and optimal versions appear where available; a direct exercise may need only one approach.

Exact lookup could use a hash set, but . matches any letter, so scanning every word is awkward. Words use lowercase letters, which fit a trie. Add walks a 26-way path. Search follows a fixed edge on a letter and branches over every non-empty child on .; a match must end on a word node.

class Trie {
    Trie[] children = new Trie[26];
    boolean isEnd;
}

class WordDictionary {
    private Trie trie;

    /** Initialize your data structure here. */
    public WordDictionary() {
        trie = new Trie();
    }

    public void addWord(String word) {
        Trie node = trie;
        for (char c : word.toCharArray()) {
            int idx = c - 'a';
            if (node.children[idx] == null) {
                node.children[idx] = new Trie();
            }
            node = node.children[idx];
        }
        node.isEnd = true;
    }

    public boolean search(String word) {
        return search(word, trie);
    }

    private boolean search(String word, Trie node) {
        for (int i = 0; i < word.length(); ++i) {
            char c = word.charAt(i);
            int idx = c - 'a';
            if (c != '.' && node.children[idx] == null) {
                return false;
            }
            if (c == '.') {
                for (Trie child : node.children) {
                    if (child != null && search(word.substring(i + 1), child)) {
                        return true;
                    }
                }
                return false;
            }
            node = node.children[idx];
        }
        return node.isEnd;
    }
}

/**
 * Your WordDictionary object will be instantiated and called as such:
 * WordDictionary obj = new WordDictionary();
 * obj.addWord(word);
 * boolean param_2 = obj.search(word);
 */

Reference code. Platform solutions may use supplied node types, imports, or collection libraries; foundational examples are complete programs.

Solutions adapted from Doocs / LeetCode contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Formatting changed; TypeScript versions converted to JavaScript. Supplemental implementations and approach notes added. Adapted solution material is available under the same license.