Return Words Matching a Typed Prefix
Company: Google
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Onsite
Given words and a query prefix, return all words starting with that prefix in lexicographic order.
Implement:
```python
def prefix_matches(words: list[str], prefix: str) -> list[str]:
pass
```
Overview: Practice a Google coding interview problem focused on return words matching a typed prefix. The prompt emphasizes edge cases, clean implementation, and verifiable test behavior without revealing the solution.
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Return all words that start with a given prefix.
Examples
Input: {"words":["car","cat","dog"],"prefix":"ca"}
Expected Output: ["car","cat"]
Explanation: Two matches.
Input: {"words":[],"prefix":"a"}
Expected Output: []
Explanation: Empty.