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Word Ladder: shortest transformation via BFS — how do you build the wildcard graph?

Q: Word Ladder: shortest transformation via BFS — how do you build the wildcard graph?

**Core concept.** Word Ladder: shortest transformation via BFS is a classic interview signal. Input n steps Optimal O(n log n) Result Verified How it works — use optimal structure, maintain invariants, handle empty/single/duplicate. Brute O(n²) vs optimal O(n) or O(n log n). | | Brute | Optimal | |---|---|---| | Time | O(n

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Core concept. Word Ladder: shortest transformation via BFS is a classic interview signal.

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