Python word search game help

Question

hi, i was just trying to get my head around a question that came up in a test a few days ago.
I need to create a python program that can take a grid of letters and extract words from it. the hidden words will be vertical, horizontal and backwards but NOT diagonal...
so basically a simple word search game.

Any help from someone that knows what they're doing would be appreciated as its been playing with my head for a few days now.

thanks

Answer 1

Turn the grid into arrays the loop through the arrays with a dictionary that does partial word searches
e.g.
BATS
ATEB
TEAS
Would produce the following arrays
BATS
ATEB
TEAS
BAT
ATE
TEA
SBS
Otherwise an x+y array would produce x+y array (x y.length and y x.length arrays)
You can check for duplicates first
Then go through each to find words in a dictionary.
e.g.
in BATS
it would go
B
Then BA
Then BAT
Then BATS
Then A
Then AT
Then ATS
...
Then S
...
Then STAB
...
Then AB
Finally B
Usually beside A or I single letters are not words. So after AT when S is added the list should go back to 0, hence AT is a word.

So for SBS
It will try S and SB but not SBS, since no words I know begins with SB
then it will try B and BS (here we check if just BS is a word.
Basically before the list becomes 0 or when the last letter is reached you check if those letters are an entry.