Finding shortest word in a string in JavaScript

We are required to write a JavaScript function that takes in a string and returns the shortest word from the string.

For example: If the input string is:

const str = 'This is a sample string';

Then the output should be:

'a'

Using Array.reduce() Method

This approach splits the string into words and uses reduce() to find the shortest word by comparing lengths:

const str = 'This is a sample string';

const findSmallest = str => {
    const strArr = str.split(' ');
    const creds = strArr.reduce((acc, val) => {
        let { length, word } = acc;
        if(val.length < length){
            length = val.length;
            word = val;
        };
        return { length, word };
    }, {
        length: Infinity,
        word: ''
    });
    return creds.word;
};

console.log(findSmallest(str));

a

Using Array.sort() Method

A simpler approach is to split the string and sort by length, then return the first element:

const str = 'This is a sample string';

const findShortestWord = str => {
    return str.split(' ').sort((a, b) => a.length - b.length)[0];
};

console.log(findShortestWord(str));

a

Using for Loop Method

A traditional approach using a for loop to iterate through words:

const str = 'This is a sample string';

const findShortestWithLoop = str => {
    const words = str.split(' ');
    let shortest = words[0];
    
    for (let i = 1; i < words.length; i++) {
        if (words[i].length < shortest.length) {
            shortest = words[i];
        }
    }
    return shortest;
};

console.log(findShortestWithLoop(str));

a

Comparison

Conclusion

All three methods effectively find the shortest word. Use sort() for simplicity, for loop for performance, or reduce() for functional programming style.