Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP
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Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP

Michael Brenndoerfer•November 1, 2025•17 min read•4,007 words•Interactive

A comprehensive exploration of Andrew Viterbi's groundbreaking 1967 algorithm that revolutionized sequence decoding. Learn how dynamic programming made optimal inference in Hidden Markov Models computationally feasible, transforming speech recognition, part-of-speech tagging, and sequence labeling tasks in natural language processing.

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Reference

BIBTEXAcademic
@misc{viterbialgorithmdynamicprogrammingfoundationforsequencedecodinginspeechrecognitionandnlp, author = {Michael Brenndoerfer}, title = {Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP}, year = {2025}, url = {https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/viterbi-algorithm-dynamic-programming-sequence-decoding-hmm-speech-recognition}, organization = {mbrenndoerfer.com}, note = {Accessed: 2025-11-02} }
APAAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025). Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP. Retrieved from https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/viterbi-algorithm-dynamic-programming-sequence-decoding-hmm-speech-recognition
MLAAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer. "Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP." 2025. Web. 11/2/2025. <https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/viterbi-algorithm-dynamic-programming-sequence-decoding-hmm-speech-recognition>.
CHICAGOAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer. "Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP." Accessed 11/2/2025. https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/viterbi-algorithm-dynamic-programming-sequence-decoding-hmm-speech-recognition.
HARVARDAcademic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025) 'Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP'. Available at: https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/viterbi-algorithm-dynamic-programming-sequence-decoding-hmm-speech-recognition (Accessed: 11/2/2025).
SimpleBasic
Michael Brenndoerfer (2025). Viterbi Algorithm - Dynamic Programming Foundation for Sequence Decoding in Speech Recognition and NLP. https://mbrenndoerfer.com/writing/viterbi-algorithm-dynamic-programming-sequence-decoding-hmm-speech-recognition
Michael Brenndoerfer

About the author: Michael Brenndoerfer

All opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.

Michael currently works as an Associate Director of Data Science at EQT Partners in Singapore, where he drives AI and data initiatives across private capital investments.

With over a decade of experience spanning private equity, management consulting, and software engineering, he specializes in building and scaling analytics capabilities from the ground up. He has published research in leading AI conferences and holds expertise in machine learning, natural language processing, and value creation through data.

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