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Problem 11 of 159MediumNeetCode~20 min
Encode and Decode Strings
Hash Tables (Frequency Counter)
Asked at 9 companies
- CrowdStrike
- OpenAI
- Snowflake
- Microsoft
- Oracle
- TikTok
- Amazon
- Meta
Community-reported · source · updated 2026-10-08. ● asked in the last 6 months.
Go step by step: try it yourself before the video and the visual. Progress saves on this device.
Step 1
Know these before you start
Tick what you already know
Concept videoStep 2
Try it on paper
5–10 minutes, no code yet
About this problem
String manipulation with delimiters
Read the full statement and examples on NeetCode, try it for 20 min, then come back for the walkthrough and the step-by-step visual.
Step 6
Get it accepted
All test cases pass
Step 7
Review it so it sticks
Re-solve from memory after
Solve it yourself before you look
Reading the solution first feels like progress, but it makes the next similar problem — and the interview version — much harder, because you skipped the part where you figure it out. Give it an honest 20–30 minutes. Stuck? Re-read the pattern, watch the concept video, or try the brute force first.
Hidden: optimal solution