Autocomplete Starter

Trie · Share prefixes as a tree · Stretch · about 22 min

Why it matters

Tries make prefix search feel like following a path instead of scanning every word.

How it connects

Trees do not only hold numbers: a trie stores a decision at every character.

Try first

Sketch the shared letters in “cat”, “car”, and “care”. Where should the paths split?

Interview cue

A trie shares prefixes, so each operation follows only the word or prefix length.