#854
K-Similar Strings
hard · verified · 40.6% accepted · 1,175 likes · top 20%
hash table · string · breadth-first search
Description
Strings s1 and s2 are k-similar (for some non-negative integer k) if we can swap the positions of two letters in s1 exactly k times so that the resulting string equals s2.
Given two anagrams s1 and s2, return the smallest k for which s1 and s2 are k-similar.
Example 1:
Input: s1 = "ab", s2 = "ba"
Output: 1
Explanation: The two string are 1-similar because we can use one swap to change s1 to s2: "ab" --> "ba".
Example 2:
Input: s1 = "abc", s2 = "bca"
Output: 2
Explanation: The two strings are 2-similar because we can use two swaps to change s1 to s2: "abc" --> "bac" --> "bca".
Solution