#820
Medium Algorithms Short encoding of words
Array Hash Table String Trie
60.8% acceptance
Feb 22, 2026
1783
671
A valid encoding of an array of words is any reference string s and array of indices indices such that:
words.length == indices.length
The reference string s ends with the '#' character.
For each index indices[i], the substring of s starting from indices[i] and up to (but not including) the next '#' character is equal to words[i].
Given an array of words, return the length of the shortest reference string s possible of any valid encoding of words.
Solution
Rust
Time O(n²)
Space O(1)
/*
* A valid encoding of an array of words is any reference string s and array of indices indices such that:
* words.length == indices.length
* The reference string s ends with the '#' character.
* For each index indices[i], the substring of s starting from indices[i] and up to (but not including) the next '#' character is equal to words[i].
* Given an array of words, return the length of the shortest reference string s possible of any valid encoding of words.
* Example 1:
* Input: words = ["time", "me", "bell"]
* Output: 10
* Explanation: A valid encoding would be s = "time#bell#" and indices = [0, 2, 5].
* words[0] = "time", the substring of s starting from indices[0] = 0 to the next '#' is underlined in "time#bell#"
* words[1] = "me", the substring of s starting from indices[1] = 2 to the next '#' is underlined in "time#bell#"
* words[2] = "bell", the substring of s starting from indices[2] = 5 to the next '#' is underlined in "time#bell#"
* Example 2:
* Input: words = ["t"]
* Output: 2
* Explanation: A valid encoding would be s = "t#" and indices = [0].
* Constraints:
* 1 <= words.length <= 2000
* 1 <= words[i].length <= 7
* words[i] consists of only lowercase letters.
*/
impl Solution {
pub fn minimum_length_encoding(words: Vec<String>) -> i32 {
use std::collections::HashSet;
let mut set: HashSet<String> = words.into_iter().collect();
let all: Vec<String> = set.iter().cloned().collect();
for w in &all {
for k in 1..w.len() {
set.remove(&w[k..]);
}
}
set.iter().map(|w| w.len() as i32 + 1).sum()
}
}