Find a secret word using match feedback
Quick Overview
This question evaluates algorithmic problem-solving, combinatorial reasoning, and information-theoretic search strategies for narrowing a secret from a candidate set using match-count feedback.
Atlassian
Mar 1, 2026, 12:00 AM
Machine Learning Engineer
Onsite
Coding & Algorithms
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You are given a list of unique words, each with the same length (e.g., 6 lowercase letters). One of these words is the secret.
You can repeatedly make a guess by choosing a word from the list. After each guess, you receive feedback: the number of positions where your guessed word exactly matches the secret word (same character and same index).
Task
Design an algorithm that finds the secret word within a limited number of guesses (e.g., at most 10), by choosing guesses adaptively based on feedback.
Details
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Feedback is an integer from
0toLwhereLis word length. - After each guess, you may use the feedback to eliminate impossible candidate words.
What to discuss
- How to pick the next guess to minimize the worst-case remaining candidates.
- Time complexity considerations for up to a few thousand words.