Word Chain Solver computes the minimal number of changes from one word to another by changing only one letter at a time. It will also generate a DOT file for analysis. See This Video for a full overview.
There is a default dictionary included sourced from http://wordlist.aspell.net/12dicts/
However, you may use any dictionary by replacing the word list file WORD_LIST with your own.
By default, word lengths are 3 letters, but you can change WORD_LEN to any number.
Once the dictionary and word length are set, just run python WordChainSolver.py to begin. You can choose 2 words and the program will print the optimal path to get there. It will also generate the graph.dot file.
If you'd like to make graphs like the video, follow these steps.
- Download and install Gephi
- Open Gephi and load the DOT file 'graph.dot'.
- In the layout tab, select ForceAtlas 2
- In the ForceAtlas 2 settings, Enable the option "Stronger Gravity" and set the "Gravity" to 0.02
- Press Run and watch the graph form.
- Once the graph has mostly stopped moving, enable the "Prevent Overlap" option.
- Press Stop to end the layout changes.
- In appearance, under "Ranking", choose "Degree" and then choose a color palette. Then press Apply
- In the Graph window press the icon that looks like a T to Show Node Labels.
- Adjust the size of the labels with the slider until they fit in the nodes.
- Adjust the color of the labels so they contrast well with the node colors.