How to Explain Your LeetCode Solution Out Loud During Coding Interviews

Source: Dev.to

TL;DR

Why verbalize – Interviewers assess the process, not just the final code. Silence leaves them guessing your competence; talking shows systematic thinking.

What to say – Follow the UMPIRE framework: Understand, Match, Plan, Implement, Review, Evaluate. Each phase has specific cues to verbalize.

How to practice – Record yourself solving problems while talking. It feels awkward at first, but becomes natural with repetition.

When uncertain – Say “I’m thinking through X” or “Let me consider two approaches” instead of going silent. Narrate your reasoning, not just your actions.

Common mistake – Explaining what you’re coding (“Now I’m writing a loop”) instead of why (“I need a loop to check every element because…”).

You’ll learn – Structured verbal templates for each interview phase, how to communicate uncertainty confidently, and the exact phrases that signal systematic thinking.

Why Silence Is Interpreted as Struggle

From the interviewer’s perspective

• They can’t see your thought process.
• Silence could mean: stuck, confused, making progress, or giving up.
• They want to help but don’t know where you’re struggling.

From your perspective

• You’re thinking deeply.
• You don’t want to say something wrong.
• You assume silence = focus = productivity.

The gap – What feels productive to you looks concerning to them.
The fix – Externalize your internal monologue. Make the interviewer a collaborator, not an evaluator.

What “Thinking Out Loud” Actually Means

Not this (describing actions)

"I'm writing a for loop... now I'm declaring a variable... now I'm checking if..."

This (explaining reasoning)

// Example in JavaScript
// Explain why you choose each step
"I need to iterate through the array because I'm looking for pairs that meet a condition. 
I'm tracking seen values in a hash map so I can check if the complement exists in O(1) time. 
Let me code that up..."

The difference – The second shows why you’re doing things, proving you understand the problem structure and made deliberate choices.

This connects to broader interview communication strategies.

Step‑By‑Step Learning Guidance

Phase 1: Understand (Clarify the Problem)

What to say – Restate the problem in your own words and ask clarifying questions.

Template

"So if I understand correctly, we need to [restate problem].
The input is [describe input format and constraints].
The output should be [describe expected output].
Can I assume [clarifying question about edge cases or constraints]?"

Example

"So we're finding two numbers in the array that sum to the target value.
The input is an array of integers and a target number.
We should return the indices of those two numbers, not the values themselves.
Can I assume there's always exactly one solution, or should I handle the case where no solution exists?"

Why this works

• Shows you’re thinking about edge cases.
• Confirms understanding before coding.
• Opens dialogue if you’ve misunderstood something.

Phase 2: Match (Identify the Pattern)

What to say – Identify the problem type and justify your choice of technique.

Template

"This looks like a [pattern/category] problem because [reasoning].
I'm thinking of using [data structure or algorithm] because [justification]."

Example

"This looks like a hash‑map problem because we need to find pairs that sum to a target, which means for each element we must quickly check if its complement exists. 
A hash map gives us O(1) lookup, which is better than the O(n²) brute‑force approach of checking every pair."

Why this works

• Demonstrates pattern recognition.
• Shows you’re considering complexity.
• Explains your approach before coding.

Phase 3: Plan (Outline Your Approach)

What to say – Describe the algorithm at a high level before writing code.

Template

"Here's my approach:
1. [Step 1 in plain English]
2. [Step 2 in plain English]
3. [Step 3 in plain English]

The time complexity should be O([complexity]) because [reasoning].
Space complexity is O([complexity]) for [data structure]."

Example

"Here's my plan:
1. Create a hash map to store values we've seen and their indices.
2. Iterate through the array once.
3. For each element, calculate the complement (target minus current value).
4. Check if the complement exists in our map.
5. If yes, return those two indices; otherwise, add the current value to the map.

Time complexity is O(n) because we iterate once, and hash‑map operations are O(1).
Space complexity is O(n) in the worst case if we store every element."

Why this works

• Gives the interviewer a roadmap.
• Lets them catch issues early.
• Shows you’re thinking about efficiency.

Phase 4: Implement (Code While Explaining)

What to say – Narrate key decisions and logic, not every keystroke.

Template

"I'm [doing X] because [reason].
This handles [edge case or special condition].
Let me add [feature] to cover [scenario]."

Example (TypeScript/JavaScript)

// Explain while coding
"I'll initialize an empty hash map to track seen values..."
const seen = new Map();

"I now iterate through the array. For each element, I calculate the complement..."
for (let i = 0; i < nums.length; i++) {
  const complement = target - nums[i];

  "I check if the complement exists in the map. If it does, I've found my pair..."
  if (seen.has(complement)) {
    return [seen.get(complement)!, i];
  }

  "Otherwise, I store this value and move to the next element..."
  seen.set(nums[i], i);
}

What NOT to narrate

• Every variable name you type.
• Syntax details (“Now I’m typing a semicolon”).
• Obvious actions (“Hitting Enter”).

What to narrate

• Why you chose a specific data structure.
• How you handle edge cases.
• Key logical decisions.