#include <map>
#include <set>
#include <list>
#include <cmath>
#include <ctime>
#include <deque>
#include <queue>
#include <stack>
#include <string>
#include <bitset>
#include <cstdio>
#include <limits>
#include <vector>
#include <climits>
#include <cstring>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <fstream>
#include <numeric>
#include <sstream>
#include <cassert>
#include <iomanip>
#include <iostream>
#include <algorithm>
#include <unordered_set>
#include <unordered_map>

using namespace std;

template<typename T1, typename T2>inline void chkmin(T1 &x, T2 y) { if (x > y) x = y; }
template<typename T1, typename T2>inline void chkmax(T1 &x, T2 y) { if (x < y) x = y; }
/** Interface */
     
inline int readChar();
template <class T = int> inline T readInt(); 
template <class T> inline void writeInt( T x, char end = 0 );
inline void writeChar( int x ); 
inline void writeWord( const char *s );
     
/** Read */
     
static const int buf_size = 4096;
     
inline int getChar() {
    static char buf[buf_size];
    static int len = 0, pos = 0;
    if (pos == len) {
        pos = 0, len = fread(buf, 1, buf_size, stdin);
    }
    if (pos == len) {
        return -1;
    }
    return buf[pos++];
}
     
inline int readChar() {
    int c = getChar();
    while (c <= 32) {
        c = getChar();
    }
    return c;
}
     
template <class T>
inline T readInt() {
    int s = 1, c = readChar();
    T x = 0;
    if (c == '-')
        s = -1, c = getChar();
    while ('0' <= c && c <= '9')
        x = x * 10 + c - '0', c = getChar();
    return s == 1 ? x : -x;
}
     
/** Write */
     
static int write_pos = 0;
static char write_buf[buf_size];
     
inline void writeChar( int x ) {
    if (write_pos == buf_size)
        fwrite(write_buf, 1, buf_size, stdout), write_pos = 0;
    write_buf[write_pos++] = x;
}
     
template <class T> 
inline void writeInt( T x, char end ) {
    if (x < 0)
        writeChar('-'), x = -x;
     
    char s[24];
    int n = 0;
    while (x || !n)
        s[n++] = '0' + x % 10, x /= 10;
    while (n--)
        writeChar(s[n]);
    if (end)
        writeChar(end);
}
     
inline void writeWord( const char *s ) {     while (*s)
writeChar(*s++); }
     
struct Flusher {
    ~Flusher() {
        if (write_pos)
            fwrite(write_buf, 1, write_pos, stdout), write_pos = 0;
    }
} flusher;


#define f first
#define s second
#define pb push_back
#define pp pop_back
#define mp make_pair
#define ll long long
#define ld double
#define ull unsigned long long
#define PI pair < int, int > 

const int N = 2e5 + 123;
const int M = 2e5;
const ld Pi = acos(-1);
const int inf = 1e9;
const int mod = 1e9 + 7;
const int Sz = 501;
const int MOD = 1e9 + 7;

void add(int &a, int b) {
  a += b;
  if (a >= mod) a -= mod;
}
int mult(int a, int b) {
  return 1ll * a * b % mod;
}
int sum(int a, int b) {
  add(a, b);
  return a;
}

string s;
int n;

int calc(char x) {
  string now = s;
  bool fail = 1;
  for (auto i : now) if (i == x) fail = 0;
  if (fail) return inf;
  for (int it = 0;;it++) {
    bool fail = 0;
    for (int i = 1;i < now.size();i++) if (now[i] != now[0]) fail = 1;
    if (!fail) return it;
    string nxt;
    for (int i = 0;i + 1 < now.size();i++) {
      if (now[i] == x || now[i + 1] == x) {
        nxt += x;
      } else nxt += now[i];
    }
    now = nxt;
  }
  assert(0);
}

void solve() { 
  cin >> s;
  int ans = inf;
  for (auto i = 'a';i <= 'z';i++) ans = min(ans, calc(i));
  cout << ans << endl;
}

int main() {
  #ifdef wws
   freopen("in", "r", stdin);
   // freopen("in", "w", stdout);
  #endif 
  //ios_base::sync_with_stdio(0);
  int tt = 1; 
  while(tt--) solve();
  return 0;
}

Measured memory_bytes: 256