Detect anagram in linked list

Last updated: October 14, 2025

Quick Overview

Given a linked list of characters, write a function to determine if any two substrings in the list are anagrams of each other. The function should return a boolean value indicating the presence of such anagram pairs. The input is a linked list, and the output should be true if anagrams are found, otherwise false.

Stripe
Coding & Algorithms
Software Engineer
Stripe
October 14, 2025
Software Engineer
Technical Screen
Coding & Algorithms
Medium

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3,798 solved


Given a linked list of characters, write a function to determine if any two substrings in the list are anagrams of each other. The function should return a boolean value indicating the presence of such anagram pairs. The input is a linked list, and the output should be true if anagrams are found, otherwise false.

Coding interviews at Stripe focus on problem-solving approach as much as the final solution. The interviewer wants to see you break down the problem, consider edge cases, and optimize iteratively. Communication throughout the process is key.

What the Interviewer Expects
  • Recognize the underlying problem pattern (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS, etc.)
  • Discuss multiple approaches and trade-offs before coding
  • Implement an optimal solution with clean, production-quality code
  • Handle all edge cases including boundary conditions and invalid input
  • Optimize both time and space complexity with clear justification
  • Test your solution systematically with well-chosen examples
Key Topics to Cover
Hash maps and frequency counting
Tree structures and recursion
Common algorithm patterns (sliding window, two pointers, BFS/DFS)
Dynamic programming and memoization
How to Approach This
  1. Clarify input constraints and edge cases before writing code.
  2. Walk through your approach verbally and confirm with the interviewer before coding.
  3. Start with a brute force solution, then optimize. Mention time and space complexity.
  4. Test your solution with examples, including edge cases like empty input or duplicates.
  5. Consider common patterns: sliding window, two pointers, hash map, BFS/DFS, dynamic programming.
Possible Follow-up Questions
  • How would you test this solution thoroughly?
  • Can you optimize the space complexity of your solution?
  • How would you parallelize this solution?
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Problem Analysis

To determine if any two substrings in a linked list are anagrams of each other, we can leverage the properties of anagrams: two strings are anagrams if they contain the same characters with the same f...

Approach
  1. Convert the linked list to a string or array: This allows easier access to characters.
  2. Initialize a hash map: This will store frequency counts of characters for each substring.
  3. **...

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