AIInterviewTraining logoAIInterview/Training
← Coding & DSA / 92
hardAmazonMetaGoogle

Find the length of the shortest transformation sequence from one word to another (Word Ladder).

Treat each word as a node and one-letter edits as edges: the shortest ladder becomes a shortest path in an unweighted graph, which means BFS. The detail that decides pass or fail is producing neighbors in O(26 * L) without scanning the entire dictionary. Here is the pattern.

Updated Sep 2026 · Grounded in real GenAI, LLM, and AI/ML engineering interview loops and written to a senior-engineer editorial bar.

Treat each word as a node and one-letter edits as edges: the shortest ladder becomes a shortest path in an unweighted graph, which means BFS. The detail that decides pass or fail is producing neighbors in O(26 * L) without scanning the entire dictionary. Here is the pattern.

Unlock the other 847 answers · ₹2,000 / $25Your progress and mastery stay saved · 6 months · one payment · no auto-renew
UP NEXT ON YOUR JOURNEY
Next in this trackCount the number of contiguous subarrays whose sum is divisible by k.Next in this trackImplement a basic calculator that evaluates a string with +, -, *, /, and parentheses.Next in this trackBuild an in-memory key-value database, then extend it across stages: TTL, transactions, snapshots.
DISCUSSION · 0

No comments yet — be the first to share your approach.