Python LeetCode Solution: Grouping Anagrams with Frequency Arrays

LeetCode #49 – Group Anagrams | Python Implementation I implemented a character frequency signature approach to group anagrams efficiently. Instead of sorting each string (which would cost O(k log k) per string), I generate a fixed-size frequency array of 26 elements representing counts for each letter. This array is converted to a tuple to serve as a hashable key in a dictionary, mapping each unique signature to its corresponding anagram group. This pattern is widely used in document clustering, duplicate detection systems, and search indexing pipelines. res = defaultdict(list) for s in strs:   count = [0] * 26           # Fixed-size frequency array   for c in s:     count[ord(c) - ord("a")] += 1   # Map 'a'-'z' to indices 0-25   res[tuple(count)].append(s)      # Use tuple as hashable key     return list(res.values())         # Return grouped anagrams Key Takeaway: Using character frequency arrays as keys avoids the sorting overhead entirely. The tuple conversion is crucial since lists aren't hashable in Python. This technique shines when dealing with large datasets where minimizing per-element processing time is critical. Time: O(n * k) where n is the number of strings and k is the max string length | Space: O(n * k) #LeetCode #DataStructures #Python #HashMap #Anagrams #CodingInterview #ProblemSolving #SoftwareEngineering

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