Word Proximity Search in Text

CodingPalantirLast reported June 2025Low Frequency
Reported
3× across candidate reports
First seen
March 2025
Last reported
June 2025
Reported outcome
mixed

Problem Overview

Given a text string (e.g., "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog") and a search query consisting of one or more words plus an integer k, determine whether all query words appear in the text such that consecutive query words are at most k words apart (in the…

  • 3 candidate-reported follow-ups — the exact probes interviewers asked, with the trigger for each
  • The rest of the problem statement — full requirements, constraints, and edge cases
  • Approach and trade-offs — what passing candidates did, and the mistakes that sink people
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Verified Source
Every question is reconstructed from multiple independent candidate reports. Verbatim follow-ups, not invented ones.
Codex Fact-Checked
Technical claims, formulas, and scale numbers are reviewed against primary sources.
Interviewer Follow-ups
The exact follow-ups reported by candidates, with the trigger that prompts each one — plus the mistakes that sink people.
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