Java: Check if two given strings are anagrams or not

Last update on May 12 2025 13:11:05 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Check Anagrams

Write a Java program to check if two strings are anagrams or not.

According to wikipedia "An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word anagram can be rearranged into nag a ram, or the word binary into brainy."

Pictorial Presentation:

Sample Solution:

Java Code:

import java.util.*
public  class Solution {
    /**
     * @param s: The first string
     * @param b: The second string
     * @return true or false
     */
   public static boolean anagram_test(String str1, String str2) {
        // Check if either input string is null
        if (str1 == null || str2 == null) {
            return false;
        } 
        // Check if the lengths of the two strings are different
        else if (str1.length() != str2.length()) {
            return false;
        } 
        // Check if both strings are empty (an edge case)
        else if (str1.length() == 0 && str2.length() == 0) {
            return true;
        }
        
        // Create an integer array to count character occurrences
        int[] count = new int[256];
        
        // Count character occurrences in both strings
        for (int i = 0; i < str1.length(); i++) {
            count[str1.charAt(i)]++;
            count[str2.charAt(i)]--;
        }
        
        // Check if all counts in the array are zero, indicating anagrams
        for (int num : count) {
            if (num != 0) {
                return false;
            }
        }
        
        // If all checks pass, the strings are anagrams
        return true;
    }
    
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Test case: Check if the strings "wxyz" and "zyxw" are anagrams
        String str1 = "wxyz";
        String str2 = "zyxw";
        
        // Print the original strings
        System.out.println("String-1 : " + str1);
        System.out.println("String-2 : " + str2);
        
        // Check if the two given strings are anagrams and print the result
        System.out.println("Check if two given strings are anagrams or not?: " + anagram_test(str1, str2));
    }   
}

Sample Output:

String-1 : wxyz
String-2 : zyxw
Check if two given strings are anagrams or not?: true

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Java program to check if two given strings are anagrams while considering case sensitivity.
• Write a Java program to find all the anagrams of a given word in a list of words.
• Write a Java program to check if two given strings are k-anagrams, meaning they can be converted into anagrams by changing at most k characters.
• Write a Java program to check if one string is a cyclic anagram of another (rotation of an anagram).

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