Group Strings Equivalent under Uniform Alphabet Shifts
Quick Overview
Group Strings Equivalent under Uniform Alphabet Shifts. Group lowercase strings when shifting every letter by the same alphabet offset, with z-to-a wraparound, can transform one into the other. Return all groups in a
Group Strings Equivalent under Uniform Alphabet Shifts
Company: Google
Role: Software Engineer
Category: Coding & Algorithms
Difficulty: medium
Interview Round: Other
### Problem
Group lowercase strings when shifting every letter by the same alphabet offset, with z-to-a wraparound, can transform one into the other. Return all groups in any order, with no required member order. Preserve every input occurrence.
```cpp
vector<vector<string>> groupStrings(vector<string>& strings);
```
### Examples
```text
strings = ["az","ba","bc","cd","a"] -> [["az","ba"],["bc","cd"],["a"]]
strings = ["x","y","x"] -> [["x","y","x"]]
```
### Constraints
- There are 1 through 200 strings, each length 1 through 50.
- All letters are lowercase English.
### Follow-up Questions
Explain how the permitted output freedom is preserved without losing required values or occurrences.
### What a Strong Answer Covers
Normalize each letter to its modular offset from the string's first letter, retaining the length. Explain why every produced result satisfies the source contract and why no required result is omitted.
Overview: Group Strings Equivalent under Uniform Alphabet Shifts. Group lowercase strings when shifting every letter by the same alphabet offset, with z-to-a wraparound, can transform one into the other. Return all groups in a
Group Strings Equivalent under Uniform Alphabet Shifts
Google
Source window: 0–3 months · as of Oct 21, 2026
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Problem
Group lowercase strings when shifting every letter by the same alphabet offset, with z-to-a wraparound, can transform one into the other. Return all groups in any order, with no required member order. Preserve every input occurrence.
There are 1 through 200 strings, each length 1 through 50.
All letters are lowercase English.
Follow-up Questions Guidance
Explain how the permitted output freedom is preserved without losing required values or occurrences.
What a Strong Answer Covers Guidance
Normalize each letter to its modular offset from the string's first letter, retaining the length. Explain why every produced result satisfies the source contract and why no required result is omitted.