# Solving Leetcode Interviews in Seconds with AI: Merge Strings Alternately


	# Introduction
	In this blog post, we will explore how to solve the LeetCode problem "1768" using AI. LeetCode is a popular platform for preparing for coding interviews, and with the help of AI tools like [Chatmagic](https://www.chatmagic.app), we can generate solutions quickly and efficiently - helping you pass the interviews and get the job offer without having to study for months.

	# Problem Statement
	> You are given two strings word1 and word2. Merge the strings by adding letters in alternating order, starting with word1. If a string is longer than the other, append the additional letters onto the end of the merged string. Return the merged string.   Example 1: 
 Input: word1 = "abc", word2 = "pqr"
 Output: "apbqcr"
 Explanation: The merged string will be merged as so:
 word1:  a   b   c
 word2:    p   q   r
 merged: a p b q c r
  Example 2: 
 Input: word1 = "ab", word2 = "pqrs"
 Output: "apbqrs"
 Explanation: Notice that as word2 is longer, "rs" is appended to the end.
 word1:  a   b 
 word2:    p   q   r   s
 merged: a p b q   r   s
  Example 3: 
 Input: word1 = "abcd", word2 = "pq"
 Output: "apbqcd"
 Explanation: Notice that as word1 is longer, "cd" is appended to the end.
 word1:  a   b   c   d
 word2:    p   q 
 merged: a p b q c   d
    Constraints:  1 <= word1.length, word2.length <= 100 word1 and word2 consist of lowercase English letters. 

	# Explanation
	Here's the solution to the string merging problem:

*   **Iterate and Merge:** Use a single loop to iterate up to the length of the shorter string, appending characters from `word1` and `word2` alternately to the result.
*   **Append Remaining Characters:** After the loop, determine which string (if any) has remaining characters and append them to the result.

*   **Runtime Complexity:** O(m+n), where m and n are the lengths of word1 and word2 respectively.
*   **Storage Complexity:** O(m+n), to store the merged string.

	
	# Code
	```python
	def mergeAlternately(word1: str, word2: str) -> str:
    """
    Merges two strings by adding letters in alternating order, starting with word1.
    If a string is longer than the other, append the additional letters onto the end
    of the merged string.
    """

    merged = ""
    n1 = len(word1)
    n2 = len(word2)
    i = 0
    while i < min(n1, n2):
        merged += word1[i]
        merged += word2[i]
        i += 1

    if n1 > n2:
        merged += word1[i:]
    elif n2 > n1:
        merged += word2[i:]

    return merged
	```