How to Fix Top K Frequent Elements Errors

In this tutorial, you'll learn about How to Fix Top K Frequent Elements Errors. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices.

Fix top k frequent elements errors when frequency counting with sorting instead of heap.

Quick Fix

Wrong

def top_k(nums,k):
    from collections import Counter
    c=Counter(nums)
    return [x for x,_ in sorted(c.items(),key=lambda x:-x[1])[:k]]

O(n log n) sort of all frequencies.

Right

import heapq
from collections import Counter
def top_k(nums,k):
    c=Counter(nums)
    return [x for x,_ in heapq.nlargest(k,c.items(),key=lambda x:x[1])]

[1,1,1,2,2,3], k=2 -> [1,2]. O(n log k).

Prevention

Use Counter + heap.nlargest or bucket sort for O(n).

DodaTech Tools

Doda Browser's algorithm visualizer steps through DSA operations line by line. DodaZIP archives implementation patterns for team sharing. Durga Antivirus Pro detects memory corruption patterns in algorithm implementations.

FAQ