Python Strings

Python strings are sequences of characters used to store text. You create a string by placing text inside single quotes or double quotes. Triple quotes create a string that spans several lines.

Creating Strings

greeting = "Hello"
name = 'Bilal'
poem = """Roses are red,
Python is neat."""

print(greeting, name)
print(poem)
print(len(name))

Hello Bilal
Roses are red,
Python is neat.
5

Indexing and Slicing Strings

Each character has a position (index) starting from 0. Negative indexes count from the end. A slice [start:end] returns the characters from start up to, but not including, end.

word = "Programming"

print(word[0])
print(word[-1])
print(word[0:7])
print(word[3:])
print(word[::-1])

P
g
Program
gramming
gnimmargorP

Leaving out start or end means "from the beginning" or "to the end". A step of -1, as in [::-1], walks backwards and reverses the string.

Common Python String Methods

Strings come with many built-in methods. Because strings are immutable, each method returns a new string.

text = "  Learn Python Today  "

print(text.strip())
print("[" + text.lower() + "]")
print(text.upper().strip())
print(text.replace("Today", "Now").strip())
print(text.split())
print("-".join(["2026", "10", "31"]))

Learn Python Today
[  learn python today  ]
LEARN PYTHON TODAY
Learn Python Now
['Learn', 'Python', 'Today']
2026-10-31

Check if a String Contains Text

Use the in keyword to test whether one string appears inside another. startswith(), endswith() and find() give more control.

email = "naeem@example.com"

print("@" in email)
print(email.endswith(".com"))
print(email.find("@"))
print(email.count("e"))

True
True
5
4

Joining Strings and f-strings

The + operator joins (concatenates) strings and * repeats them. To mix text and variables, f-strings are the modern, readable choice: put f before the quotes and variables inside curly braces.

first = "Sara"
last = "Khan"
score = 92.456

print(first + " " + last)
print("=" * 10)
print(f"{first} scored {score:.1f} points")

Sara Khan
==========
Sara scored 92.5 points

Escape Characters

Some characters need a backslash in front of them inside a string:

• \n starts a new line
• \t inserts a tab
• \" or \' puts a quote inside a string using the same quote type
• \\ produces a single backslash
• Prefix a string with r (a raw string) to turn escapes off, useful for Windows paths and regular expressions

Frequently asked questions

How do I get the length of a string in Python?

Use the built-in len() function. For example len("hello") returns 5.

How do I reverse a string in Python?

Use slicing with a step of -1: text[::-1]. It returns a new reversed string.

Single or double quotes in Python: which is better?

They are identical. Pick one style and stay consistent; use the other kind when the text itself contains quotes, like "It's easy".

How do I check if a string contains a substring in Python?

Use the in operator, for example "py" in "python" returns True. Use find() if you also need the position.