List of strings in Python

A list of strings in Python stores multiple strings together. In this article, we’ll explore how to create, modify and work with lists of strings using simple examples.

Creating a List of Strings

We can use square brackets [] and separate each string with a comma to create a list of strings.

a = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print(a)

['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']

Explanation: 'a' is a list containing three string elements: "apple", "banana", and "cherry".

Note: We can also use list() constructor to create a list of strings.

Accessing Elements in a List

We can access elements in a list using their index. Python supports both positive indexing (from the start) and negative indexing (from the end).

a = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

# First element using positive index
print(a[0])

# Last element using negative index
print(a[-1])

# Second last element
print(a[-2])

apple
cherry
banana

Explanation:

• Positive indexing: Starts from 0. So, a[0] retrieves "apple".
• Negative indexing: Starts from -1 for the last element. So, a[-1] retrieves "cherry" and a[-2] retrieves "banana".

Adding Elements to a List

We can add elements to a list using the append() or insert() methods.

a = ["apple", "banana"]

# Add at the end of list
a.append("cherry")

# Add at index 1
a.insert(1, "orange")
print(a)

['apple', 'orange', 'banana', 'cherry']

Explanation:

• append("cherry") adds "cherry" to the end of the list.
• insert(1, "orange") places "orange" at the second position (index 1).

Removing Elements from a List

To remove elements from list, we can use remove(), pop(), or del().

a = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

# Remove by value
a.remove("banana")  

# Remove by index
val = a.pop(1)
print(val)

# Delete first element
del a[0]  
print(a)

cherry
[]

Explanation:

• remove("banana") deletes "banana" from the list.
• pop(1) removes the second element and stores it in val.
• del a[0] deletes the first element.

Modifying Strings in a List

To modify the strings in a list we can use index to modify elements directly.

a = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
a[1] = "orange"
print(a)

['apple', 'orange', 'cherry']

Explanation: a[1] = "orange" replaces "banana" with "orange".

Iterating through a List

We can use a for loop to iterate through all strings in the list.

a = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for s in a:
    print(s)

apple
banana
cherry