ADVANCED DATA STRUCTURES PROGRAM • LEVEL 15 — DIGITAL SEARCH TREES
Count Words Sharing a Trie Prefix
Learn how to count words sharing a trie prefix using a clear C program.
PROBLEM UNDERSTANDING
Input and expected output
Sample input
No input required
Sample output
Words with ap = 4
COMPLETE C PROGRAM
Complete C implementation
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
struct Trie { struct Trie *child[26]; int terminal, pass; };
struct Trie *new_trie(void) { struct Trie *node = calloc(1, sizeof *node); if (!node) exit(EXIT_FAILURE); return node; }
void insert_word(struct Trie *root, const char *word) { for (int i = 0; word[i]; i++) { int index = word[i] - 'a'; if (!root->child[index]) root->child[index] = new_trie(); root = root->child[index]; root->pass++; } root->terminal = 1; }
struct Trie *walk(struct Trie *root, const char *word) { for (int i = 0; word[i] && root; i++) root = root->child[word[i] - 'a']; return root; }
void free_trie(struct Trie *root) { if (root) { for (int i = 0; i < 26; i++) free_trie(root->child[i]); free(root); } }
int main(void)
{
const char *words[] = {"app", "apple", "apply", "apt", "bat"}; struct Trie *root = new_trie();
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) { insert_word(root, words[i]); }
struct Trie *prefix = walk(root, "ap");
printf("Words with ap = %d\n", prefix ? prefix->pass : 0); free_trie(root); return 0;
}CURRENT STEP
SELECTED LINE
EXPECTED OUTPUT FOR THE SAMPLE
Words with ap = 4
Step 0 of 0
PROGRAM EXPLANATION
Algorithm and explanation
- Read the required input values.
- Store how many inserted words pass through each trie node.
- Display the computed result.
Store how many inserted words pass through each trie node.
EFFICIENCY
Time and space complexity
Time complexity
O(prefix length)
Auxiliary space
O(total characters * alphabet)
DEBUGGING CHECKLIST
Common mistakes
Check this
Use the correct format specifier for every variable.
Check this
Initialize variables before using their values.
Check this
Check braces, semicolons and input order carefully.
Try it yourself
Practice: Run the program with the sample input, predict its output, and then test one boundary case of your own.
