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Python String
Last Updated : 28 Mar, 2026
Strings are sequence of characters written inside quotes. It can include letters, numbers, symbols and
spaces. Python does not have a separate character type.
A single character is treated as a string of length one.
Strings are commonly used for text handling and manipulation.
Creating a String
Strings can be created using either single ('...') or double ("...") quotes. Both behave the same.
Example: Creating two equivalent strings one with single and other with double quotes.
s1 = 'GfG'
s2 = "GfG"
print(s1)
print(s2)
Output
GfG
GfG
Multi-line Strings
Use triple quotes ('''...''' ) or ( """...""") for strings that span multiple lines. Newlines are preserved.
Example: Define and print multi-line strings using both styles.
s = """I am Learning
Python String on GeeksforGeeks"""
print(s)
s = '''I'm a
Geek'''
print(s)
Output
I am Learning
Python String on GeeksforGeeks
I'm a
Geek
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Accessing characters in String
Strings are indexed sequences. Positive indices start at 0 from the left, negative indices start at -1 from the
right as represented in below image:
Indices of string in reverse
Example 1: Access specific characters through positive indexing.
s = "GeeksforGeeks"
print(s[0])
print(s[4])
Output
G
s
Note: Accessing an index out of range will cause an IndexError. Only integers are allowed as indices
and using a float or other types will result in a TypeError.
Example 2: Read characters from the end using negative indices.
s = "GeeksforGeeks"
print(s[-10])
print(s[-5])
Output
k
G
String Slicing
Slicing is a way to extract a portion of a string by specifying the start and end indexes. The syntax for
slicing is string[start:end], where start starting index and end is stopping index (excluded).
Example: this example demonstrates slicing through range and reversing a string.
s = "GeeksforGeeks"
print(s[1:4])
print(s[:3])
print(s[3:])
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print(s[::-1])
Output
eek
Gee
ksforGeeks
skeeGrofskeeG
String Iteration
Strings are iterable, one can loop through characters one by one.
Example: Here, it prints each character on its own line.
s = "Python"
for char in s:
print(char)
Output
P
y
t
h
o
n
Explanation: for loop pulls characters in order and each iteration prints the next character.
String Immutability
Strings are immutable, which means that they cannot be changed after they are created. If we need to
manipulate strings then we can use methods like concatenation, slicing or formatting to create new strings
based on original.
Example: In this example we are changing first character by building a new string.
s = "geeksforGeeks"
s = "G" + s[1:]
print(s)
Output
GeeksforGeeks
Deleting a String
It's not possible to delete individual characters from a string since strings are immutable. However, we can
delete an entire string variable using the del keyword.
Example: Here, we are using del keyword to delete a string.
s = "GfG"
del s
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Note: After deleting the string if we try to access s then it will result in a NameError because variable
no longer exists.
Updating a String
As strings are immutable, “updates” create new strings using slicing or methods such as replace().
Example: This code fixes the first letter and replace a word.
s = "hello geeks"
s1 = "H" + s[1:]
s2 = [Link]("geeks", "GeeksforGeeks")
print(s1)
print(s2)
Output
Hello geeks
hello GeeksforGeeks
Explanation:
s1: slice from index 1 onward and prepend "H".
s2: replace("geeks", "GeeksforGeeks") returns a new string.
Common String Methods
Python provides various built-in methods to manipulate strings. Below are some of the most useful
methods:
1. len(): returns the total number of characters in a string (including spaces and punctuation).
s = "GeeksforGeeks"
print(len(s))
Output
13
2. upper() and lower(): upper() method converts all characters to uppercase whereas, lower() method
converts all characters to lowercase.
s = "Hello World"
print([Link]())
print([Link]())
Output
HELLO WORLD
hello world
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3. strip() and replace(): strip() removes leading and trailing whitespace from the string and replace()
replaces all occurrences of a specified substring with another.
s = " Gfg "
print([Link]())
s = "Python is fun"
print([Link]("fun", "awesome"))
Output
Gfg
Python is awesome
To learn more about string methods, please refer to Python String Methods.
Concatenating and Repeating Strings
We can concatenate strings using + operator and repeat them using * operator.
1. Strings can be combined by using + operator.
Example: Join two words with a space.
s1 = "Hello"
s2 = "World"
print(s1 + " " + s2)
Output
Hello World
2. We can repeat a string multiple times using * operator.
Example: Repeat a greeting three times.
s = "Hello "
print(s * 3)
Output
Hello Hello Hello
Formatting Strings
1. Using f-strings: most preferred way to format strings is by using f-strings.
Example: Embed variables directly using {} placeholders.
name = "Jake"
age = 22
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print(f"Name: {name}, Age: {age}")
Output
Name: Jake, Age: 22
2. Using format(): Another way to format strings is by using format() method.
Example: Use placeholders {} and pass values positionally.
s = "My name is {} and I am {} years old.".format( "Emily", 22)
print(s)
Output
My name is Emily and I am 22 years old.
String Membership Testing
in keyword checks if a particular substring is present in a string.
Example: Here, we are testing for the presence of substrings.
s = "GeeksforGeeks"
print("Geeks" in s)
print("GfG" in s)
Output
True
False
Recommended Problems: Repeat the Strings, String Functions, Convert String to LowerCase, String
Duplicates Removal, Reverse String, Check Palindrome
Related Links:
String Comparison
Convert integer to String
Convert string to integer
Convert a string to list
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Suggested Quiz 10 Questions
Which of the following is the correct way to create a string in Python?
A str = "Hello"
B str = 'Hello'
C str = "Hello" or 'Hello'
D All of the above
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