The CYK Algorithm

Table Filling Algorithm or

Membership Algorithm
 The CYK Algorithm
• The membership problem:
– Problem:
• Given a context-free grammar G and a string w
– G = (V, ∑ ,P , S) where
» V finite set of variables
» ∑ (the alphabet) finite set of terminal symbols
» P finite set of rules
» S start symbol (distinguished element of V)
» V and ∑ are assumed to be disjoint
– G is used to generate the string of a language
– Question:
• Is w in L(G)?
 The CYK Algorithm
• J. Cocke
• D. Younger,
• T. Kasami

– Independently developed an algorithm to answer

this question.
 The CYK Algorithm Basics

– In CYK the CFG grammar used follows a Structure of

production rules which is in Chomsky Normal Form
Grammar(CNF)

– Uses a “dynamic programming” or “table-filling

algorithm”
• CNF (Normal form used to derive a string which takes
exponential in |x| or even less.
• Where as CYK algorithm is based on the idea of Dynamic
Programming which is also known as table filling
algorithm.
• To apply CYK algorithm convert the given Grammar into
CNF form.
• The input to the algorithm is w .
• Time taken to construct the table is O(n3)
• CNF is Binary tree where if length of W is n then there
will be exactly 2n-1 nodes labelled by variables in the
tree.
• The no:of possible trees and node-labelling is thus “only
exponential in n.
• CYK Algorithm
 Chomsky Normal Form(CNF)
• Normal Form is described by a set of conditions
that each production rule in the grammar must
satisfy.
• Context-free grammar is in CNF if each
production rule has one of the following forms:
A  BC 2 Non Terminal symbols on RHS
or
Aa terminal symbol on RHS
where B, C Є V – {S}
 Construct a Triangular Table
• In a Table Each row corresponds to one length of
substrings
– Bottom Row – Strings of length 1
– Second from Bottom Row – Strings of length 2
…………………………….

Top Row – string ‘w’

 Construct a Triangular Table
• Xi, i is the set of variables A such that
A  wi is a production of G A a (CNF)
• Compare at most n pairs of previously computed sets:
Here productions of the form
A BC considered (CNF)
Compute Xi, j (j>i)
(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
Example :
X1 , 2 = (Xi ,i, Xi+1 , j) = (X1 , 1 , X2 , 2)
 Construct a Triangular Table
X1, 5
X1, 4 X2, 5
X1, 3 X2, 4 X3, 5
X1, 2 X2, 3 X3, 4 X4, 5
X1, 1 X2, 2 X3, 3 X4, 4 X5, 5

Table for W1 string ‘w=w

W2w w w w ’ W
1 2 3 4 5 that 3 has length W4 5 W5

i.e., if w =baaba Xi, j (j>i)= (Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
S  AB | BC X1, 3 = (X1 , 1 , X2 , 3) , (X1 , 2 , X3 , 3)
A  BA | a
B  CC | b
C  AB | a
 Construct a Triangular Table
X1, 5
X1, 4 X2, 5
X1, 3 X2, 4 X3, 5
X1, 2 X2, 3 X3, 4 X4, 5
X1, 1 X2, 2 X3, 3 X4, 4 X5, 5
w1 w2 w3 w4 w5

Looking for pairs to compare

 Example CYK Algorithm
• Show the CYK Algorithm with the following
example:
– CNF grammar G
S  AB | BC
A  BA | a
B  CC | b
C  AB | a
– w is baaba
– Question Is baaba in L(G)?
Constructing The Triangular Table
S  AB | BC
A  BA | a
B  CC | b
C  AB | a

{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}

b a a b a

Calculating the Bottom ROW

 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
• X1 , 2 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) = (X1 , 1 , X2 , 2)
•  {B}{A,C} = {BA, BC}
• Steps:
–Look for production rules to generate BA or BC
S  AB | BC
–There are two: S and A A  BA | a
–X1 , 2 = {S, A} B  CC | b
C  AB | a
Constructing The Triangular Table

{S, A}
{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j ) Xi,j
for ( j> i)

•X2 , 3 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) = (X2 , 2 , X3 , 3)

• {A, C}{A,C} = {AA, AC, CA, CC} = Y
•Steps:
– Look for production rules to generate Y S  AB | BC
A  BA | a
– There is one: B B  CC | b
C  AB | a
– X2 , 3 = {B}
Constructing The Triangular Table

{S, A} {B}
{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X3 , 4 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) = (X3 , 3 , X4 , 4)
• {A, C}{B} = {AB, CB} = Y
•Steps:
– Look for production rules to generate YS  AB | BC
– There are two: S and C A  BA | a
B  CC | b
– X3 , 4 = {S, C} C  AB | a
Constructing The Triangular Table

{S, A} {B} {S, C}

{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X4 , 5 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) = (X4 , 4 , X5 , 5)
• {B}{A, C} = {BA, BC} = Y
•Steps:
– Look for production rules to generate YS  AB | BC
– There are two: S and A A  BA | a
B  CC | b
– X4 , 5 = {S, A} C  AB | a
Constructing The Triangular Table

{S, A} {B} {S, C} {S, A}

{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X1 , 3 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) (Xi , i+1 ,Xi+2 , j)
= (X1 , 1 , X2 , 3) , (X1 , 2 , X3 , 3)
 {B}{B} U {S, A}{A, C}= {BB, SA, SC, AA, AC} = Ø
•Steps: S  AB | BC
– Look for production rules to generate Y A  BA | a
B  CC | b
– There are NONE: S and A C  AB | a

– X1 , 3 = Ø
– no elements in this set (empty set)
Constructing The Triangular Table

Ø
{S, A} {B} {S, C} {S, A}
{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X2 , 4 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) (Xi , i+1 ,Xi+2 , j)
= (X2 , 2 , X3 , 4) , (X2 , 3 , X4 , 4)
• {A, C}{S, C} U {B}{B}= {AS, AC, CS, CC, BB} = B
•Steps: S  AB | BC
A  BA | a
– Look for production rules to generate Y B  CC | b
– There is one: B C  AB | a

– X2 , 4 = {B}
Constructing The Triangular Table

Ø {B}
{S, A} {B} {S, C} {S, A}
{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X3 , 5 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) (Xi , i+1 ,Xi+2 , j)
= (X3 , 3 , X4 , 5) , (X3 , 4 , X5 , 5)
• {A,C}{S,A} U {S,C}{A,C}
= {AS, AA, CS, CA, SA, SC, CA, CC} = B
•Steps: S  AB | BC
– Look for production rules to generate Y A  BA | a
B  CC | b
– There is one: B C  AB | a
– X3 , 5 = {B}
Constructing The Triangular Table

Ø {B} {B}
{S, A} {B} {S, C} {S, A}
{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X1 , 4 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) (Xi , i+1 ,Xi+2 , j) (Xi , i+2 ,Xi+3, j )
= (X1 , 1 , X2 , 4) , (X1 , 2 , X3 , 4) (X1 , 3 , X4, 4 )
• {B}{B} U {S,A} {S,C} U {Ø } { B}
= {BB,SS,SC,AS,AC, Ø } = Y = Ø
•Steps: S  AB | BC
– Look for production rules to generate Y A  BA | a
B  CC | b
– There is one: B C  AB | a
– X1, 4 = {Ø }
 Constructing The Triangular Table
Xi, j (j>i)=(Xi, i , Xi+1, j ), (Xi, i+1 , Xi+2, j ) … (Xi, j-1 , Xj, j )
•X1 , 5 = (Xi , i ,Xi+1 , j) (Xi , i+1 ,Xi+2 , j) (Xi , i+2 ,Xi+3, j ) (Xi , i+3 ,Xi+4, j )
= (X1 , 1 , X2 , 5) , (X1 , 2 , X3 , 5) (X1 , 3 , X4, 5 ) (X1 , 4 , X5, 5 )
• {B}{S,A,C} U {S,A} {B} U {Ø } { S,A} U{Ø} {A,C}
= {BS,BA,BC,SB,AB, Ø, Ø } = Y = {S,A,C}
•Steps:
S  AB | BC
– Look for production rules to generate Y A  BA | a
– There is one: B B  CC | b
C  AB | a
– X1, 5 = {S,A,C }
 Final Triangular Table
{S, A, C}  X1, 5
Ø {S, A, C}
Ø {B} {B}
{S, A} {B} {S, C} {S, A}
{B} {A, C} {A, C} {B} {A, C}
b a a b a

- Table for string ‘w’ that has length 5

- The algorithm populates the triangular table
 Example (Result)
• Is baaba in L(G)?

Yes

We can see the S in the set X1n where ‘n’ = 5

We can see the table
the cell X15 = (S, A, C) then
if S Є X15 then baaba Є L(G)
 Theorem

• The CYK Algorithm correctly computes X i j for

all i and j; thus w is in L(G) if and only if S is in
X1n.
• The running time of the algorithm is O(n3).
 References
• J. E. Hopcroft, R. Motwani, J. D. Ullman,
Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages
and Computation, Second Edition, Addison
Wesley, 2001
• T.A. Sudkamp, An Introduction to the Theory
of Computer Science Languages and
Machines, Third Edition, Addison Wesley,
2006