How to Solve Word Ladder Problem
Master the Word Ladder 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.
Word Ladder
A transformation sequence from word beginWord to word endWord using a dictionary wordList is a sequence of words beginWord -> s1 -> s2 -> ... -> sk such that: Every adjacent pair of words differs by a...
Interview Coder will help you solve this problem in real-time during your interview
✨ Get instant solutions, explanations, and code generation
Understanding the Word Ladder Problem
Let's break down this LeetCode problem and understand what makes it challenging in interview settings.
Problem Statement
A transformation sequence from word beginWord to word endWord using a dictionary wordList is a sequence of words beginWord -> s1 -> s2 -> ... -> sk such that: Every adjacent pair of words differs by a single letter. Every si for 1 <= i <= k is in wordList. Note that beginWord does not need to be in wordList. sk == endWord Given two words, beginWord and endWord, and a dictionary wordList, return the number of words in the shortest transformation sequence from beginWord to endWord, or 0 if no such sequence exists.
Word Ladder
Related Topics
How Interview Coder Helps
Get real-time assistance for Word Ladder problems during coding interviews. Interview Coder provides instant solutions and explanations.
Examples
beginWord = "hit", endWord = "cog", wordList = ["hot","dot","dog","lot","log","cog"]
5
One shortest transformation sequence is "hit" -> "hot" -> "dot" -> "dog" -> cog", which is 5 words long.
beginWord = "hit", endWord = "cog", wordList = ["hot","dot","dog","lot","log"]
0
The endWord "cog" is not in wordList, therefore there is no valid transformation sequence.
Constraints
1 <= beginWord.length <= 10
endWord.length == beginWord.length
1 <= wordList.length <= 5000
wordList[i].length == beginWord.length
beginWord, endWord, and wordList[i] consist of lowercase English letters.
beginWord != endWord
All the words in wordList are unique.
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 Word Ladder 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