using System;
using System.Linq;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Debug = System.Diagnostics.Debug;
using SB = System.Text.StringBuilder;
//using System.Numerics;
using Number = System.Int64;
using static System.Math;
//using static MathEx;
//using P = System.Collections.Generic.KeyValuePair<int, int>;

namespace Program
{
    public class Solver
    {
        public void Solve()
        {
            var s = rs;
            var min = 1000000000;
            for (char c = 'a'; c <= 'z'; c++)
            {
                var res = f(s, c);
                min = Min(min, res);
            }
            IO.Printer.Out.WriteLine(min);
        }
        int f(string s, char c)
        {
            var n = s.Length;
            if (!s.Any(x => x == c)) return 1000000000;
            while (s.Any(x => x != c))
            {
                var t = new SB();
                for (int i = 0; i + 1 < s.Length; i++)
                {
                    if (s[i] == c || s[i + 1] == c) t.Append(c);
                    else t.Append('$');
                }
                s = t.ToString();
            }

            return n - s.Length;
        }
        //*
        int ri => sc.Integer();
        long rl => sc.Long();
        double rd => sc.Double();
        string rs => sc.Scan();
        char rc => sc.Char();

        [System.Diagnostics.Conditional("DEBUG")]
        void put(params object[] a) => Debug.WriteLine(string.Join(" ", a));

        //*/
        public IO.StreamScanner sc = new IO.StreamScanner(Console.OpenStandardInput());

        static T[] Enumerate<T>(int n, Func<int, T> f)
        {
            var a = new T[n];
            for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) a[i] = f(i);
            return a;
        }
        static void Swap<T>(ref T a, ref T b)
        {
            var tmp = a;
            a = b;
            b = tmp;
        }
    }
}

#region main

static class Ex
{
    public static string AsString(this IEnumerable<char> ie)
    {
        return new string(ie.ToArray());
    }

    public static string AsJoinedString<T>(this IEnumerable<T> ie, string st = " ")
    {
        return string.Join(st, ie);
    }

    public static void Main()
    {
        var solver = new Program.Solver();
        solver.Solve();
        Program.IO.Printer.Out.Flush();
    }
}

#endregion
#region Ex

namespace Program.IO
{
    using System.IO;
    using System.Text;
    using System.Globalization;

    public class Printer: StreamWriter
    {
        static Printer()
        {
            Out = new Printer(Console.OpenStandardOutput()) { AutoFlush = false };
        }

        public static Printer Out { get; set; }

        public override IFormatProvider FormatProvider
        {
            get { return CultureInfo.InvariantCulture; }
        }

        public Printer(Stream stream) : base(stream, new UTF8Encoding(false, true))
        {
        }

        public Printer(Stream stream, Encoding encoding) : base(stream, encoding)
        {
        }

        public void Write<T>(string format, T[] source)
        {
            base.Write(format, source.OfType<object>().ToArray());
        }

        public void WriteLine<T>(string format, T[] source)
        {
            base.WriteLine(format, source.OfType<object>().ToArray());
        }
    }

    public class StreamScanner
    {
        public StreamScanner(Stream stream)
        {
            str = stream;
        }

        public readonly Stream str;
        private readonly byte[] buf = new byte[1024];
        private int len, ptr;
        public bool isEof;

        public bool IsEndOfStream
        {
            get { return isEof; }
        }

        private byte read()
        {
            if (isEof) return 0;
            if (ptr < len) return buf[ptr++];
            ptr = 0;
            if ((len = str.Read(buf, 0, 1024)) > 0) return buf[ptr++];
            isEof = true;
            return 0;
        }

        public char Char()
        {
            byte b;
            do b = read(); while ((b < 33 || 126 < b) && !isEof);
            return (char)b;
        }

        public string Scan()
        {
            var sb = new StringBuilder();
            for (var b = Char(); b >= 33 && b <= 126; b = (char)read())
                sb.Append(b);
            return sb.ToString();
        }

        public string ScanLine()
        {
            var sb = new StringBuilder();
            for (var b = Char(); b != '\n'; b = (char)read())
                if (b == 0) break;
                else if (b != '\r') sb.Append(b);
            return sb.ToString();
        }

        public long Long()
        {
            if (isEof) return long.MinValue;
            long ret = 0;
            byte b;
            var ng = false;
            do b = read(); while (b != 0 && b != '-' && (b < '0' || '9' < b));
            if (b == 0) return long.MinValue;
            if (b == '-')
            {
                ng = true;
                b = read();
            }
            for (; ; b = read())
            {
                if (b < '0' || '9' < b)
                    return ng ? -ret : ret;
                ret = ret * 10 + b - '0';
            }
        }

        public int Integer()
        {
            return (isEof) ? int.MinValue : (int)Long();
        }

        public double Double()
        {
            var s = Scan();
            return s != "" ? double.Parse(s, CultureInfo.InvariantCulture) : double.NaN;
        }

        static T[] enumerate<T>(int n, Func<T> f)
        {
            var a = new T[n];
            for (int i = 0; i < n; ++i) a[i] = f();
            return a;
        }

        public char[] Char(int n)
        {
            return enumerate(n, Char);
        }

        public string[] Scan(int n)
        {
            return enumerate(n, Scan);
        }

        public double[] Double(int n)
        {
            return enumerate(n, Double);
        }

        public int[] Integer(int n)
        {
            return enumerate(n, Integer);
        }

        public long[] Long(int n)
        {
            return enumerate(n, Long);
        }
    }
}

#endregion



Measured memory_bytes: 11220