Java: If vs. Switch

Tengo un código con a) que reemplacé con b) simplemente por legibilidad ...

una)

if ( WORD[ INDEX ] == 'A' ) branch = BRANCH.A;
/* B through to Y */
if ( WORD[ INDEX ] == 'Z' ) branch = BRANCH.Z;

segundo)

switch ( WORD[ INDEX ] ) {
    case 'A' : branch = BRANCH.A; break;
    /* B through to Y */
    case 'Z' : branch = BRANCH.Z; break;
}


... ¿la versión del conmutador pasará en cascada a través de todas las permutaciones o saltará a un caso?



EDITAR:

Algunas de las respuestas a continuación consideran enfoques alternativos al enfoque anterior.
He incluido lo siguiente para proporcionar contexto para su uso.

La razón por la que pregunté, la pregunta anterior, fue porque la velocidad de agregar palabras empíricamente mejoró.

Este no es un código de producción de ninguna manera, y fue hackeado juntos rápidamente como un PoC.

Lo siguiente parece ser una confirmación de fracaso para un experimento mental.
Puede que necesite un corpus de palabras mucho más grande que el que utilizo actualmente.
El error surge del hecho de que no tuve en cuenta las referencias nulas que aún requieren memoria. (Doh!)

public class Dictionary {
    private static Dictionary ROOT;
    private boolean terminus;
    private Dictionary A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z;
    private static Dictionary instantiate( final Dictionary DICTIONARY ) {
        return ( DICTIONARY == null ) ? new Dictionary() : DICTIONARY;
    }
    private Dictionary() {
        this.terminus = false;
        this.A = this.B = this.C = this.D = this.E = this.F = this.G = this.H = this.I = this.J = this.K = this.L = this.M = this.N = this.O = this.P = this.Q = this.R = this.S = this.T = this.U = this.V = this.W = this.X = this.Y = this.Z = null;
    }
    public static void add( final String...STRINGS ) {
        Dictionary.ROOT = Dictionary.instantiate( Dictionary.ROOT );
        for ( final String STRING : STRINGS ) Dictionary.add( STRING.toUpperCase().toCharArray(), Dictionary.ROOT , 0, STRING.length() - 1 );
    }
    private static void add( final char[] WORD, final Dictionary BRANCH, final int INDEX, final int INDEX_LIMIT ) {
        Dictionary branch = null;
        switch ( WORD[ INDEX ] ) {
        case 'A' : branch = BRANCH.A = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.A ); break;
        case 'B' : branch = BRANCH.B = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.B ); break;
        case 'C' : branch = BRANCH.C = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.C ); break;
        case 'D' : branch = BRANCH.D = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.D ); break;
        case 'E' : branch = BRANCH.E = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.E ); break;
        case 'F' : branch = BRANCH.F = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.F ); break;
        case 'G' : branch = BRANCH.G = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.G ); break;
        case 'H' : branch = BRANCH.H = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.H ); break;
        case 'I' : branch = BRANCH.I = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.I ); break;
        case 'J' : branch = BRANCH.J = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.J ); break;
        case 'K' : branch = BRANCH.K = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.K ); break;
        case 'L' : branch = BRANCH.L = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.L ); break;
        case 'M' : branch = BRANCH.M = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.M ); break;
        case 'N' : branch = BRANCH.N = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.N ); break;
        case 'O' : branch = BRANCH.O = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.O ); break;
        case 'P' : branch = BRANCH.P = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.P ); break;
        case 'Q' : branch = BRANCH.Q = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.Q ); break;
        case 'R' : branch = BRANCH.R = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.R ); break;
        case 'S' : branch = BRANCH.S = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.S ); break;
        case 'T' : branch = BRANCH.T = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.T ); break;
        case 'U' : branch = BRANCH.U = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.U ); break;
        case 'V' : branch = BRANCH.V = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.V ); break;
        case 'W' : branch = BRANCH.W = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.W ); break;
        case 'X' : branch = BRANCH.X = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.X ); break;
        case 'Y' : branch = BRANCH.Y = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.Y ); break;
        case 'Z' : branch = BRANCH.Z = Dictionary.instantiate( BRANCH.Z ); break;
        }   
        if ( INDEX == INDEX_LIMIT ) branch.terminus = true;
        else Dictionary.add( WORD, branch, INDEX + 1, INDEX_LIMIT );
    }
    public static boolean is( final String STRING ) {
        Dictionary.ROOT = Dictionary.instantiate( Dictionary.ROOT );
        return Dictionary.is( STRING.toUpperCase().toCharArray(), Dictionary.ROOT, 0, STRING.length() - 1 );
    }
    private static boolean is( final char[] WORD, final Dictionary BRANCH, final int INDEX, final int INDEX_LIMIT ) {
        Dictionary branch = null;
        switch ( WORD[ INDEX ] ) {
        case 'A' : branch = BRANCH.A; break;
        case 'B' : branch = BRANCH.B; break;
        case 'C' : branch = BRANCH.C; break;
        case 'D' : branch = BRANCH.D; break;
        case 'E' : branch = BRANCH.E; break;
        case 'F' : branch = BRANCH.F; break;
        case 'G' : branch = BRANCH.G; break;
        case 'H' : branch = BRANCH.H; break;
        case 'I' : branch = BRANCH.I; break;
        case 'J' : branch = BRANCH.J; break;
        case 'K' : branch = BRANCH.K; break;
        case 'L' : branch = BRANCH.L; break;
        case 'M' : branch = BRANCH.M; break;
        case 'N' : branch = BRANCH.N; break;
        case 'O' : branch = BRANCH.O; break;
        case 'P' : branch = BRANCH.P; break;
        case 'Q' : branch = BRANCH.Q; break;
        case 'R' : branch = BRANCH.R; break;
        case 'S' : branch = BRANCH.S; break;
        case 'T' : branch = BRANCH.T; break;
        case 'U' : branch = BRANCH.U; break;
        case 'V' : branch = BRANCH.V; break;
        case 'W' : branch = BRANCH.W; break;
        case 'X' : branch = BRANCH.X; break;
        case 'Y' : branch = BRANCH.Y; break;
        case 'Z' : branch = BRANCH.Z; break;
        }
        if ( branch == null ) return false;
        if ( INDEX == INDEX_LIMIT ) return branch.terminus;
        else return Dictionary.is( WORD, branch, INDEX + 1, INDEX_LIMIT );
    }
}

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