Kth Largest Element In An Array

MediumHeap / Priority Queue

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Problem

Given an unsorted array and an integer k, find the kth largest element in sorted order (not the kth distinct element).

Examples

Example 1

Input:nums = [3,2,1,5,6,4], k = 2

Output:5

Constraints

1 <= k <= nums.length <= 10^5

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How to approach it: the Heap / Priority Queue pattern

A heap keeps the minimum (or maximum) element accessible in O(1), with O(log n) insert and remove. It's the tool whenever you repeatedly need "the smallest/largest remaining item" without needing everything fully sorted.

Look for this pattern when

You need the top-k largest/smallest elements, not a full sort.
You're merging multiple sorted sequences (always take the smallest available head).
You need a running min/max/median as data streams in.

Read the full Heap / Priority Queue guide →

Video walkthroughs

Original problem on LeetCode ↗