What algorithm does Litecoin use for mining?

Litecoin uses the Scrypt algorithm for mining.

Scrypt is a password-based key-derivation and proof-of-work algorithm designed to require substantial memory as well as computation. Litecoin adopted it to make mining less dependent on the specialized SHA-256 hardware used by Bitcoin, although dedicated Scrypt ASIC miners eventually became available.

Litecoin was created by Charlie Lee and launched in October 2011 as a Bitcoin-inspired cryptocurrency. Its use of Scrypt was one of its defining technical differences, alongside a shorter target block interval and a larger maximum supply.

Scrypt is not Litecoin's consensus mechanism by itself; it is the hashing algorithm used within Litecoin's proof-of-work system. Ethash was associated with Ethereum's former proof-of-work mining, SHA-256 is used by Bitcoin, and RandomX is associated with Monero.