Valid Anagram

Write a function that takes two strings and returns true if they are anagrams of each other, and false otherwise. An anagram is a word formed by rearranging the letters of another word, using all the original letters exactly once.

How to Solve

Count character frequencies in both strings. If the strings have different lengths, they can't be anagrams. Use a hash map to count characters in the first string, then decrement counts while iterating the second string. If all counts reach zero, they're anagrams. Alternatively, sort both strings and compare.

Code

const isAnagram = (s: string, t: string): boolean => {
  // Your implementation here
};

Test Cases

Input 1

const s1 = "anagram";
const t1 = "nagaram";

Expected Output: true

Input 2

const s2 = "rat";
const t2 = "car";

Expected Output: false

Input 3

const s3 = "listen";
const t3 = "silent";

Expected Output: true

Complexity

Time Complexity: O(n) - Hash map approach: iterate both strings once. Sorting approach: O(n log n) due to sorting.

Space Complexity: O(1) - Hash map stores at most 26 characters (for lowercase English letters), which is constant space. Sorting approach: O(1) if sorting in-place, or O(n) if creating new arrays.