using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
namespace Practice
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Solve();
        }
        private const int MOD = 1000000007;
        static void Solve()
        {
            var s = Console.ReadLine();

            int ans = int.MaxValue;
            for(char c = 'a'; c <= 'z';++c)
            {
                ans = Math.Min(ans, Shrink(s.ToCharArray(), c));
            }
            
            Console.WriteLine(ans);
        }
        private static int Shrink(char[] a, char target)
        {
            int ans = 0;

            var work = a;
            var work2 = new char[work.Length];
            int len = work.Length;


            while (!IsSame(work, len))
            {
                --len;
                for (int i = 0; i < len; ++i)
                {
                    char c = work[i];
                    if (work[i] == target) { c = target; }
                    else if (work[i + 1] == target) { c = target; }
                    work2[i] = c;
                }
                for (int i = 0; i < work.Length; ++i)
                {
                    work[i] = work2[i];
                }
                ans++;
            }
            return ans;
        }
        private static bool IsSame(char[] a, int len)
        {
            for(int i=1;i<len;++i)
            {
                if(a[i-1] != a[i]) { return false; }

            }
            return true;
        }

        #region よく使う便利関数
        private static bool isPrime(long x)
        {
            if (x == 2) { return true; }
            if (x < 2 || x % 2 == 0) { return false; }
            long i = 3;
            while (i * i <= x)
            {
                if (x % i == 0) { return false; }
                i = i + 2;
            }
            return true;
        }
        private static long lcm(long x, long y)
        {
            return x / gcd(x, y) * y;
        }
        private static long gcd(long x, long y)
        {
            return y > 0 ? gcd(y, x % y) : x;
        }
        private static long pow(long x, long n)
        {
            if (n == 0) { return 1; }
            long res = pow(x * x % MOD, n / 2);
            if (n % 2 == 1)
            {
                res = res * x % MOD;
            }
            return res;
        }
        private static int ReadAndParseInt()
        {
            return int.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
        }
        private static int[] ReadAndParseIntArr()
        {
            return Array.ConvertAll(Console.ReadLine().Split(' '), int.Parse);
        }
        private static long ReadAndParseLong()
        {
            return long.Parse(Console.ReadLine());
        }
        private static long[] ReadAndParseLongArr()
        {
            return Array.ConvertAll(Console.ReadLine().Split(' '), long.Parse);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// 指定した値以上の先頭のインデクスを返す
        /// </summary>
        /// <typeparam name="T">比較する値の型</typeparam>
        /// <param name="arr">対象の配列（※ソート済みであること）</param>
        /// <param name="start">開始インデクス [inclusive]</param>
        /// <param name="end">終了インデクス [exclusive]</param>
        /// <param name="value">検索する値</param>
        /// <param name="comparer">比較関数(インターフェイス)</param>
        /// <returns>指定した値以上の先頭のインデクス</returns>
        public static int LowerBound<T>(IReadOnlyList<T> arr, int start, int end, T value, IComparer<T> comparer)
        {
            int low = start;
            int high = end;
            int mid;
            while (low < high)
            {
                mid = ((high - low) >> 1) + low;
                if (comparer.Compare(arr[mid], value) < 0)
                    low = mid + 1;
                else
                    high = mid;
            }
            return low;
        }

        //引数省略のオーバーロード
        public static int LowerBound<T>(IReadOnlyList<T> arr, T value) where T : IComparable
        {
            return LowerBound(arr, 0, arr.Count, value, Comparer<T>.Default);
        }

        /// <summary>
        /// 指定した値より大きい先頭のインデクスを返す
        /// </summary>
        /// <typeparam name="T">比較する値の型</typeparam>
        /// <param name="arr">対象の配列（※ソート済みであること）</param>
        /// <param name="start">開始インデクス [inclusive]</param>
        /// <param name="end">終了インデクス [exclusive]</param>
        /// <param name="value">検索する値</param>
        /// <param name="comparer">比較関数(インターフェイス)</param>
        /// <returns>指定した値より大きい先頭のインデクス</returns>
        public static int UpperBound<T>(IReadOnlyList<T> arr, int start, int end, T value, IComparer<T> comparer)
        {
            int low = start;
            int high = end;
            int mid;
            while (low < high)
            {
                mid = ((high - low) >> 1) + low;
                if (comparer.Compare(arr[mid], value) <= 0)
                    low = mid + 1;
                else
                    high = mid;
            }
            return low;
        }

        //引数省略のオーバーロード
        public static int UpperBound<T>(IReadOnlyList<T> arr, T value)
        {
            return UpperBound(arr, 0, arr.Count, value, Comparer<T>.Default);
        }
        #endregion
    }
}

Measured memory_bytes: 13140