Alien Dictionary

from itertools import permutations


def fits(words, rank):
    # The list is sorted under rank when every neighbouring pair is in order.
    for first, second in zip(words, words[1:]):
        for x, y in zip(first, second):
            if x != y:
                if rank[x] > rank[y]:
                    return False
                break
        else:
            # One word starts the other: the shorter must come first.
            if len(first) > len(second):
                return False
    return True


def alienOrder(words):
    letters = sorted(set("".join(words)))
    # permutations() of a sorted list yields the orders from smallest to largest,
    # so the first order that fits is the answer.
    for order in permutations(letters):
        rank = {ch: i for i, ch in enumerate(order)}
        if fits(words, rank):
            return "".join(order)
    return "invalid"

import heapq


def alienOrder(words):
    # Letters are numbered 0 for 'a' up to 25 for 'z'.
    present = [False] * 26
    for word in words:
        for ch in word:
            present[ord(ch) - 97] = True
    # before[a][b] is True once you know letter a comes before letter b.
    before = [[False] * 26 for _ in range(26)]
    indegree = [0] * 26
    for first, second in zip(words, words[1:]):
        for x, y in zip(first, second):
            if x != y:
                # Only the first difference tells you anything.
                a, b = ord(x) - 97, ord(y) - 97
                if not before[a][b]:
                    before[a][b] = True
                    indegree[b] += 1
                break
        else:
            # No difference: one word starts the other, so the shorter must come first.
            if len(first) > len(second):
                return "invalid"
    # A min-heap of the letters with nothing left before them.
    heap = [c for c in range(26) if present[c] and indegree[c] == 0]
    heapq.heapify(heap)
    order = []
    while heap:
        c = heapq.heappop(heap)
        order.append(chr(c + 97))
        for nxt in range(26):
            if before[c][nxt]:
                indegree[nxt] -= 1
                if indegree[nxt] == 0:
                    heapq.heappush(heap, nxt)
    # A letter on a cycle never gets down to indegree 0, so it is never placed.
    if len(order) < sum(present):
        return "invalid"
    return "".join(order)