Overview

You are given these 2 files: dictionary.txt and jumbles.txt

The jumbles.txt file contains a bunch of scrambled words. Your job is to print out those jumbles words, 1 word to a line. After each jumbled word, print a list of real dictionary words that could be formed by unscrambling the jumbled word. The dictionary words that you have to choose from are in the dictionary.txt file.

Here is a screenshot of a sample run using the 2 input files above:

%./solveJumbles.pl
nwae: wean anew wane
eslyep: sleepy
rpeoims: semipro imposer promise
ettniner: renitent
ahicryrhe: hierarchy
dica: acid cadi caid
dobol: blood
nyegtr: gentry
cukklen: knuckle
warllc: NO MATCHES
addej: jaded
baltoc: cobalt
mycall: calmly
dufil: fluid
preko: poker
dupled: puddle
yaldde: deadly
lasia: alias
nekel: kneel
laurib: burial
lappor: poplar
couph: pouch
celer: creel
ettorp: potter
wardty: tawdry
iddec: diced
pypin: nippy
hartox: thorax
perrim: primer
gluhc: gulch
irrpo: prior
braney: nearby
meefal: female
lubly: bully
noper: prone
dobeny: beyond
kutbec: bucket
shewo: howes whose
alvan: naval
annaab: banana
mopsie: impose
nokte: token
rodug: gourd
rebisc: scribe
hoybis: boyish
milit: limit
pudmy: dumpy
hucnah: haunch
genjal: jangle
%

Step-By-Step

• Step 0: Initialization

  Open up the dictionary.txt file and read the words into an array (before going on - verify the read by echoing out the words back from the array out to the screen)

  Declare a hash table variable

  
  
  
• Step 1: Process the Dictionary foreach dictionary word in the array do the following:
  • remove the newline off the end of each word via chomp($word);
  • make a sorted copy of the word - i.e. rearrange the individual chars in the string to be sorted alphabetically
  • think of the sorted word as the key value and think of the set of all dictionary words that sort to the exact same key word as being the value of the key.
  • query the hashtable to see if the sortedWord is already one of the keys.
  • If it is not already present then insert the sorted word as key and the unsorted original of the word as the value.
  • Else concat the unsorted word onto the value string already out there (put a space in between).

  You now have a hash table where eack key is the sorted form of a dictionary word and the value associated to it is a string or array of dictionary words that sort to that same key

  
  
  
• Step 2: Process the jumbled word file
  • Read through the jumbled word file one word at a time. As you read each jumbled word chomp it and make a sorted copy (the sorted copy is your key)
  • Print the unsorted jumble word
  • Query the hashtable for the sorted copy. If found, print the associated value on same line as key and a then newline
  
  
  
• Step 3: Celebrate You are all done.

Mad props...

...to Tim Hoffman for this wonderful lab.