Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter
A easy-tier problem at 78% community acceptance, tagged with String, Greedy. Reported in interviews at Thomson Reuters and 1 others.
You're given a special typewriter that moves a pointer left or right around a circular alphabet wheel, and you need to find the minimum time to type a word. Thomson Reuters and LinkedIn have asked this. It's an easy problem on paper, but the circular constraint trips candidates who don't think through the distance calculation carefully. The accept rate sits around 78%, which means most people get it, but enough miss the pivot point to make it worth drilling before your OA. If this one shows up and you blank on the circular-distance formula, StealthCoder solves it in seconds invisible to the proctor.
Companies that ask "Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter"
Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter is the kind of problem that decides whether you pass. StealthCoder reads the problem on screen and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Invisible to screen share. The proctor sees nothing. Made for the engineer who has done the work but might still blank with a webcam pointed at him.
Get StealthCoderThe trap is treating the typewriter like a linear string. You have to calculate the shorter distance between two positions on a wheel, accounting for the fact that you can go either direction. For each character you need to type, you find the minimum of going clockwise or counterclockwise from your current position. Greedy works because there's no benefit to taking the long way around. Most wrong submissions come from either not considering the wrap-around distance or forgetting to add 1 for the actual typing step. The pattern is simple once you see it, but it's easy to miss during a live assessment if you're not anchoring on the circular nature from the start. StealthCoder is your hedge if you freeze on the distance logic.
Pattern tags
You know the problem.
Make sure you actually pass it.
Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter recycles across companies for a reason. It's easy-tier, and most candidates blank under the timer. StealthCoder is the hedge: an AI overlay invisible during screen share. It reads the problem and surfaces a working solution in under 2 seconds. Made for the engineer who has done the work but might still blank with a webcam pointed at him. Works on HackerRank, CodeSignal, CoderPad, and Karat.
Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter interview FAQ
Is this really an easy problem or do companies trick candidates on it?+
The core pattern is straightforward, and the 78% accept rate confirms it's genuinely easy. The trick isn't hidden, it's just that you have to remember the circular distance formula. Once you code it, it's obvious. Most failures are careless misses, not conceptual walls.
Why do Thomson Reuters and LinkedIn ask this?+
It tests whether you can recognize a greedy pattern and implement distance logic without overthinking. It's short enough to fit in a real interview loop but exposes candidates who don't think about edge cases like wrap-around.
What's the actual trick I need to remember?+
For any two positions on a circular wheel of size 26, the distance is min(abs(a - b), 26 - abs(a - b)). That's it. The rest is just iterate, calculate, and sum. Code it cleanly and you're done.
How does String fit into this problem?+
You're iterating through a string and calculating distances between characters. The String topic reflects that you're manipulating character sequences, not that you need string-specific algorithms. It's a basic iteration.
Should I worry about this if I'm strong on Greedy problems?+
No. If you understand that taking the shorter path at each step is optimal, you'll recognize this instantly. It's one of the gentler greedy problems. The math is more important than the algorithmic reasoning.
Want the actual problem statement? View "Minimum Time to Type Word Using Special Typewriter" on LeetCode →