How to Solve Freedom Trail Problem
Master the Freedom Trail LeetCode problem with undetectable real-time assistance. Get instant solutions and explanations during your coding interviews.
Interview Coder generates complete solutions and debugging hints that you can use while explaining your approach, so you stay calm and in control.
Freedom Trail
In the video game Fallout 4, the quest "Road to Freedom" requires players to reach a metal dial called the "Freedom Trail Ring" and use the dial to spell a specific keyword to open the door. Given a s...
Interview Coder will help you solve this problem in real-time during your interview
✨ Get instant solutions, explanations, and code generation
Understanding the Freedom Trail Problem
Let's break down this LeetCode problem and understand what makes it challenging in interview settings.
Problem Statement
In the video game Fallout 4, the quest "Road to Freedom" requires players to reach a metal dial called the "Freedom Trail Ring" and use the dial to spell a specific keyword to open the door. Given a string ring that represents the code engraved on the outer ring and another string key that represents the keyword that needs to be spelled, return the minimum number of steps to spell all the characters in the keyword. Initially, the first character of the ring is aligned at the "12:00" direction. You should spell all the characters in key one by one by rotating ring clockwise or anticlockwise to make each character of the string key aligned at the "12:00" direction and then by pressing the center button. At the stage of rotating the ring to spell the key character key[i]: You can rotate the ring clockwise or anticlockwise by one place, which counts as one step. The final purpose of the rotation is to align one of ring's characters at the "12:00" direction, where this character must equal key[i]. If the character key[i] has been aligned at the "12:00" direction, press the center button to spell, which also counts as one step. After the pressing, you could begin to spell the next character in the key (next stage). Otherwise, you have finished all the spelling.
Freedom Trail
Related Topics
How Interview Coder Helps
Get real-time assistance for Freedom Trail problems during coding interviews. Interview Coder provides instant solutions and explanations.
Examples
ring = "godding", key = "gd"
4
For the first key character 'g', since it is already in place, we just need 1 step to spell this character. For the second key character 'd', we need to rotate the ring "godding" anticlockwise by two steps to make it become "ddinggo". Also, we need 1 more step for spelling. So the final output is 4.
ring = "godding", key = "godding"
13
Constraints
1 <= ring.length, key.length <= 100
ring and key consist of only lower case English letters.
It is guaranteed that key could always be spelled by rotating ring.
How Interview Coder Helps with Leetcode Problems
Trust anchors reduce friction for conversion. Reinforce undetectability claims, platform compatibility, user counts, and the free trial to remove perceived risk.
See Interview Coder in Action
Watch how Interview Coder helps solve LeetCode problems during live interviews
Undetectability Checklist
Platform Compatibility
User results and traction
More than 87,000 developers use Interview Coder and early launch metrics showed rapid adoption. Social proof signals that this approach helps real candidates land offers across a range of companies.
Undetectability and technical details
Our native desktop architecture avoids common detection vectors used by browser extensions. We provide a clear checklist so you can run basic checks and confirm the app will be invisible during live interviews.
Platform compatibility and limitations
We work with Zoom, HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad and other web based platforms, with a known list of app version caveats. Check the compatibility note and request a browser link if a specific desktop app is unsupported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about solving Freedom Trail and using Interview Coder during coding interviews.
Interview Coder generates complete solutions instantly with proper complexity analysis, letting you focus on explaining your approach and demonstrating problem-solving skills rather than getting stuck on implementation details during high-pressure situations.
Ready to Get Started?
Download Interview Coder now and join thousands of developers who have aced their coding interviews