1048. Longest String Chain

class Solution {
    public int longestStrChain(String[] words) {
        Map<String, Integer> map = new HashMap<>();
        List<String>[] wordList = new List[17];
        for (String word : words) {
            int len = word.length();
            if (wordList[len] == null) {
                wordList[len] = new ArrayList<>();
            }
            
            wordList[len].add(word);
            map.put(word, 1);
        }
        
        int max = 1;
        for (int len = 1; len < 17; len++) {
            if (wordList[len] == null) continue;
            for (String word : wordList[len]) {
                int preLen = len - 1;
                if (wordList[preLen] == null) continue;
                for (String preWord : wordList[preLen]) {
                    if (isPre(preWord, word)) {
                        map.put(word,
                            Math.max(map.get(word),
                            map.get(preWord) + 1));
                        
                        max = Math.max(max, map.get(word));
                    }
                }
            }
        }
        
        return max;
    }
    
    private boolean isPre(String w1, String w2) {
        int p1 = 0, p2 = 0;
        boolean found = false;
        while (p1 < w1.length() && p2 < w2.length()) {
            if (w1.charAt(p1) == w2.charAt(p2)) {
                p1++;
                p2++;
            } else if (found) {
                return false;
            } else {
                found = true;
                p2++;
            }
        }
        
        return true;
    }
}