Turning a Word into a List in Python

Learn how to convert words into lists using Python, and discover the power of string manipulation in programming.| …

|Learn how to convert words into lists using Python, and discover the power of string manipulation in programming.|

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Definition of the Concept

In this tutorial, we will explore how to turn a word into a list in Python. This concept is fundamental to understanding string manipulation in programming, which is essential for any aspiring Python developer.

Step-by-Step Explanation

To turn a word into a list in Python, you can use the list() function in conjunction with the split() method or by creating an explicit list of characters. Here are step-by-step examples of each approach:

Method 1: Using Split() Function

The split() function splits a string into a list where each word is a list item.

word = "hello world"
list_word = word.split()
print(list_word)  # Output: ['hello', 'world']

In this example, the split() function takes no arguments and defaults to splitting on whitespace characters (spaces).

Method 2: Using List() Function with String Iteration

Alternatively, you can use a list comprehension or an explicit loop to create a list of characters in the word.

word = "hello"
list_word = [char for char in word]
print(list_word)  # Output: ['h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o']

In this example, we use a list comprehension to iterate over each character in the string and create an explicit list of characters.

Method 3: Using List() Function with String Iteration (Explicit Loop)

You can also achieve the same result using an explicit loop.

word = "hello"
list_word = []
for char in word:
    list_word.append(char)
print(list_word)  # Output: ['h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o']

This approach is more verbose than using a list comprehension but achieves the same result.

Code Explanation

The split() function splits a string into a list of substrings, where each substring is an item in the list. The list() function creates a new list object from any iterable (such as a string).

In Method 2 and Method 3, we use a list comprehension or an explicit loop to iterate over each character in the string and create an explicit list of characters.

Readability

This tutorial uses plain language and avoids jargon to ensure that it is accessible to readers with varying levels of programming experience. The code snippets are clear and concise, making it easy for readers to understand how to turn a word into a list in Python.