Python Strings

Learn how to work with strings in Python, including creation, manipulation, and formatting.

Strings

Strings in Python are surrounded by either single quotation marks, or double quotation marks.

'hello' is the same as "hello".

You can display a string literal with the print() function:

Example

print("Hello")
print('Hello')

Assign String to a Variable

Assigning a string to a variable is done with the variable name followed by an equal sign and the string:

Example

a = "Hello"
print(a)

Multiline Strings

You can assign a multiline string to a variable by using three quotes:

Example

a = """Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna aliqua."""
print(a)

Or three single quotes:

Example

a = '''Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetur adipiscing elit,
sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt
ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.'''
print(a)

Strings are Arrays

Like many other popular programming languages, strings in Python are arrays of bytes representing unicode characters.

However, Python does not have a character data type, a single character is simply a string with a length of 1.

Square brackets can be used to access elements of the string.

Example

a = "Hello, World!"
print(a[1])

Looping Through a String

Since strings are arrays, we can loop through the characters in a string, with a for loop.

Example

for x in "banana":
    print(x)

String Length

To get the length of a string, use the len() function.

Example

a = "Hello, World!"
print(len(a))

Check String

To check if a certain phrase or character is present in a string, we can use the keyword in.

Example

txt = "The best things in life are free!"
print("free" in txt)

Use it in an if statement:

Example

txt = "The best things in life are free!"
if "free" in txt:
    print("Yes, 'free' is present.")

Check if NOT

To check if a certain phrase or character is NOT present in a string, we can use the keyword not in.

Example

txt = "The best things in life are free!"
print("expensive" not in txt)

Use it in an if statement:

Example

txt = "The best things in life are free!"
if "expensive" not in txt:
    print("No, 'expensive' is NOT present.")

Slicing Strings

Slice with s[start:stop:step]. start is included, stop is excluded, and negative indexes count from the end.

s = "Python"
print(s[0])       # P
print(s[-1])      # n  (last character)
print(s[0:3])     # Pyt
print(s[2:])      # thon
print(s[::-1])    # nohtyP  (reverse)
print(len(s))     # 6

Essential String Methods

MethodExampleResult
.upper() / .lower()"Hi".upper()"HI"
.strip()" hi ".strip()"hi"
.replace()"a-b".replace("-", " ")"a b"
.split()"a,b".split(",")["a", "b"]
.join()"-".join(["a", "b"])"a-b"
.find()"abc".find("b")1

Strings are immutable, so every method returns a new string — the original is unchanged.

f-strings: The Modern Way to Format

name, score = "Sam", 92.5
print(f"{name} scored {score}")          # Sam scored 92.5
print(f"{score:.0f}%")                    # 92%  (format spec)
print(f"{name.upper()} = {score * 2}")   # expressions work inside

Try It Yourself

Exercise 1: Given s = " Hello World ", trim the spaces and print it in lowercase.

Show solution
s = "  Hello World  "
print(s.strip().lower())   # hello world

Exercise 2: Count how many times "a" appears in "banana".

Show solution
print("banana".count("a"))   # 3

Exercise 3: Reverse the string "stressed".

Show solution
print("stressed"[::-1])   # desserts

Key Takeaways

  • Strings are immutable, ordered sequences of characters.
  • Slice with [start:stop:step]; [::-1] reverses.
  • Methods like .strip(), .split(), .join() return new strings.
  • Prefer f-strings for formatting.
← Previous: CastingNext: Slicing Strings →

📘 Real-World Deep Dive

Strings are how every program talks to humans — logs, APIs, file paths. Knowing <code>str</code> vs. <code>bytes</code>, slicing, formatting, and the rich method set avoids an entire class of bugs.

Real-Life Scenario

A small CLI that normalises input text — trim, lower-case, replace diacritics, and emit a slug safe for filenames.

Real-Life Example

import re
import unicodedata

def slugify(text: str, *, max_len: int = 60) -> str:
    folded = unicodedata.normalize("NFKD", text)
    ascii_only = folded.encode("ascii", "ignore").decode("ascii")
    lowered = ascii_only.lower()
    slug = re.sub(r"[^a-z0-9]+", "-", lowered).strip("-")
    return slug[:max_len].rstrip("-") or "untitled"

for s in [
    "Hello, World!",
    "Café déjà vu — été 2026",
    "  Multiple   ___spaces___ here  ",
    "🚀 emoji 🚀 only 🚀",
    "",
]:
    print(f"{s!r:>40} -> {slugify(s)!r}")

Expected Output

                               'Hello, World!' -> 'hello-world'
               'Café déjà vu — été 2026' -> 'cafe-deja-vu-ete-2026'
       '  Multiple   ___spaces___ here  ' -> 'multiple-spaces-here'
                              '🚀 emoji 🚀 only 🚀' -> 'emoji-only'
                                '' -> 'untitled'

Common mistakes

  • str.encode("ascii") raises UnicodeEncodeError; use "ignore" or "replace" deliberately.
  • Comparing str to bytes raises TypeError; normalise at the I/O boundary.
  • str.strip() by default strips ASCII whitespace — Unicode whitespace (e.g. thin space \u2009) survives.

🚀 Performance & Best Practices

  • Use f"... {name!r}" rather than str.format for hot paths — f-strings are compiled into the best bytecode.
  • For very large strings, build with "".join(parts) instead of += — str is immutable.
  • str.translate is the fastest way to apply bulk char-level substitutions.

🧪 Try It Yourself

  1. Extend slugify to collapse runs of digits into shorter markers.
  2. Write tests with pytest.mark.parametrize covering diacritics, emoji, and empty input.
  3. Compare slugify runtime vs. python-slugify for a 1 MB input.

FAQ: Python Strings

Common questions about this page.

What is Python Strings?

Python Strings is a Python Tutorial lesson that explains python strings in Python. Learn how to work with strings in Python, including creation, manipulation, and formatting. Copy the samples and run them in the Python editor. It is written for beginners who want a clear definition and working examples.

Should I run python strings examples locally for better learning?

Yes. Use the browser editor on StudyGrid for a quick check, then Download the example and run it on your computer. Local runs show real errors and the real toolchain, which is one of the fastest ways to learn python strings in this Python Tutorial Python lesson (Python Strings).

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What is the syntax of python strings?

This Python Strings tutorial shows python strings syntax with short Python examples. Use the code blocks in this lesson for the exact statements, then try them in your editor.

Python Strings example for beginners

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What are common mistakes with python strings?

Common python strings mistakes include wrong syntax, mixing types, and skipping practice. Work through this Python Tutorial chapter in order, run every example, and check the output before moving on.

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Python Strings is used in real Python work. Learning python strings helps you write clearer programs and continue the Python Tutorial tutorial on StudyGrid.

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