Find the Next Strictly Larger Letter with Wraparound
Quick Overview
Find the Next Strictly Larger Letter with Wraparound. letters is sorted in nondecreasing order. Return its smallest letter strictly after target alphabetically.
Find the Next Strictly Larger Letter with Wraparound
Company: Google
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: easy
Interview Round: Other
### Problem
letters is sorted in nondecreasing order. Return its smallest letter strictly after target alphabetically. If none is larger, wrap to letters[0]. Duplicates may occur.
```cpp
class Solution {
public:
char nextGreatestLetter(vector<char>& letters, char target);
};
```
### Examples
**Example 1:**
```text
letters = ["b","d","d","h"], target = "d"
Output: "h"
Explanation: Equal d entries are skipped.
```
**Example 2:**
```text
letters = ["b","d"], target = "z"
Output: "b"
Explanation: No entry is larger, so wrap to the first.
```
### Constraints
- Array length is 2 through 10000, with at least two distinct characters.
- Entries and target are lowercase English letters.
- Array order is nondecreasing.
### Contract considerations
Preserve strict comparison and wraparound.
```hint Read the boundary condition
Where is the first true value of letters[i]>target?
```
### Boundary reminders
Preserve strict comparison and wraparound.
Overview: Find the Next Strictly Larger Letter with Wraparound. letters is sorted in nondecreasing order. Return its smallest letter strictly after target alphabetically.
Find the Next Strictly Larger Letter with Wraparound
Google
Source window: 0–6 months · as of Oct 21, 2026
easySoftware EngineerOtherCoding & Algorithms
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Problem
letters is sorted in nondecreasing order. Return its smallest letter strictly after target alphabetically. If none is larger, wrap to letters[0]. Duplicates may occur.
class Solution {
public:
char nextGreatestLetter(vector<char>& letters, char target);
};
Examples
Example 1:
letters = ["b","d","d","h"], target = "d"
Output: "h"
Explanation: Equal d entries are skipped.
Example 2:
letters = ["b","d"], target = "z"
Output: "b"
Explanation: No entry is larger, so wrap to the first.
Constraints
Array length is 2 through 10000, with at least two distinct characters.