Top K Frequent Elements
Given an integer array nums and an integer k, return the k most frequent elements.
You may return the answer in any order.
Example 1
Input
nums = [1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 3] k = 2
Output
[1, 2]
Explanation
The frequencies are:
1 → 3 times
2 → 2 times
3 → 1 time
The two most frequent elements are 1 and 2.
Example 2
Input
nums = [1] k = 1
Output
[1]
Explanation
There is only one distinct element, so it is the most frequent element.
Constraints
Hints:
Hint 1
Count the frequency of every element using a hash map.
Hint 2
Use a heap to keep track of the k elements with the highest frequencies.
Author & Technical Reviewer
Technically reviewed by: ExamAdda Technical Review Team
Technical Reviewers, ExamAdda
Software engineers at ExamAdda who check every article's definitions, complexity claims and code examples before and after publishing.
Published
Aug 26, 2026
Last updated
Aug 26, 2026
Content Verification Methodology
Definitions and complexity claims were checked against authoritative computer-science references. Code examples were compiled and tested with standard, boundary and edge-case inputs.
Expected Output