Find the Smallest Word in a String Using Java 8

Learn how to find the smallest word in a string using Java 8 Stream API and the min() method with a simple example.

Code Explanation (Step-by-Step)

  • Create a string containing multiple words.
  • Use str.split(“\\s”) to divide the string into words.
  • Convert the array into a stream using Arrays.stream() .
  • Use the min(s1,s2) method to find the shortest word.
  • Compare words based on their lengths using Integer.compare(s1.length(), s2.length()) .
  • Retrieve the result using get().
  • Print the shortest word.
				
					import java.util.Arrays;

public class ShortestWord {
    public static void main(String[] args) {

        String str = "welcome to java";

        String word = Arrays.stream(str.split("\\s"))
                            .min((s1, s2) -> Integer.compare(s1.length(), s2.length()))
                            .get();

        System.out.println("Shortest word is :- " + word);
    }
}

Output :
Shortest word is :- to

How Stream API Finds the Shortest Word

				
					import java.util.Arrays;

public class ShortestWord {
    public static void main(String[] args) {

        String str = "welcome to java stream api";

        String shortest = Arrays.stream(str.split("\\s"))
                .reduce((w1, w2) -> w1.length() < w2.length() ? w1 : w2)
                .orElse("");

        System.out.println("Shortest word is : " + shortest);
    }
}

Output :
Shortest word is :- to

Here are some related Java 8 programs that will help you understand Stream API concepts better:   

FAQ
How do you find the smallest word in a string in Java 8?
Use the Stream API with the min() method and compare words based on their length.
What does split(“\\s”) do in Java?
It splits a string into words using whitespace as the delimiter.
Why is min() used in Java Streams?
The min() method returns the smallest element according to the provided comparator.
What does Comparator.comparingInt(String::length) do?
It compares strings based on their length and helps identify the shortest string.
Can this approach find the longest word as well?
Yes, by replacing min() with max().

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