A Trie (pronounced “try”) is a tree-like data structure that efficiently stores a dynamic set of strings, such as a dictionary of words. It organizes data by shared prefixes, making it ideal for searching, sorting, and autocomplete operations. Each node in a Trie represents a character, and paths through the tree form words or prefixes. Unlike hash tables, Tries allow for lexicographical order retrieval and can quickly search for prefixes. They are used in applications like autocomplete, spell checking, and IP routing. Tries can be memory-intensive but are highly efficient in terms of time complexity, particularly for prefix-based queries.
