Word frequency
Return a dict mapping each word to its count in the sentence.
Group anagrams
Group words that are anagrams of each other.
First non-repeating character
Find the index of the first character that appears only once.
Most frequent element
Return the element that appears most often in a list.
Subarray sum equals K
Count the number of contiguous subarrays whose sum equals k.
Merge dicts summing values
Write a function that merges two dictionaries by summing values for duplicated keys.
Are two lists the same multiset
Write a function that checks if two lists contain the same elements with the same multiplicities, ignoring order.
Word to Index Map
Create a function that returns a dictionary mapping each unique word to the index of its first occurrence.
Group names by first letter
Given a list of names, return a dictionary mapping each first letter to all names starting with that letter in original order.
Missing keys default zero
Write a function to sum numeric values from dictionaries, treating missing keys as zero.
Keys Sorted by Value Descending
Given a dictionary mapping strings to integers, return a list of keys sorted by value descending, and when values tie, alphabetically ascending.
Nested get with dotted path
Implement a function that safely retrieves a value from a deeply nested dictionary using a dot-separated path, returning a default if any key is missing.
Anagram Dictionary Groups Lite
Group a list of words into anagrams using a dictionary keyed by sorted characters.
Common Keys of Two Dictionaries
Implement a function that finds keys shared by two dictionaries and returns them sorted.
Mode of a list via counting
Implement a function that returns the mode of a list, resolving ties by the element that appears first.
Top k keys by count
Given a dictionary mapping keys to counts, return the top k keys with the highest counts, breaking ties alphabetically.
Replace keys with a mapping
Write a function that renames keys in a dictionary according to a mapping, with duplicate handling.
Two Sum with Dict
Implement the classic Two Sum problem: return indices of two numbers that add up to a target using a dict.
Anagram Groups by Size
Group a list of words into anagram groups and return them sorted by group size and lexicographically.
Top K Frequent Words
Given a list of words, return the k most frequent words sorted by frequency (descending) and then alphabetically.
Sort by frequency
Sort a list by element frequency descending, with ties broken by order of first occurrence.
Pair with difference K
Count unordered index pairs with absolute difference exactly K, handling duplicates correctly.
Frequency sort descending
Write a function that sorts a list by frequency descending while preserving original order for ties.
Count Pairs with Sum
Implement a function that counts the number of distinct pairs in a list summing to a target.
Hash map merge
Write a function that merges two dictionaries recursively, combining values and preserving structure.
Ransom Note Builder
Given two strings, determine if the ransom note can be formed from the words in the magazine.
Showing 26 challenges · Dicts & Sets
Dicts & Sets — Python coding challenges
What you will find here
This page lists dicts & sets challenges — real Python problems you solve in the browser IDE with instant test feedback. Each challenge includes a clear brief, starter code, and automated checks.
Challenges vs tutorials and quizzes
Challenges test what you can build under constraints. For guided teaching, use our Python tutorials. For quick checks, try quizzes or copy snippets from code samples.