Iterate over characters of a string in Python

In this article, we will learn about iterating over characters of a string in Python. A string is a collection of characters that can include spaces, alphabets, or integers, and we can access them using various iteration methods.

Using Direct Iteration

The simplest way to iterate over a string is to use a for loop directly ?

text = "tutorialspoint"

# Iterate over the string
for char in text:
    print(char, end='')

tutorialspoint

Using Index-Based Access

Access characters using their index positions with range() ?

text = "tutorialspoint"

# Iterate using index
for i in range(len(text)):
    print(text[i], end='')

tutorialspoint

Using enumerate()

Get both index and character simultaneously using enumerate() ?

text = "tutorialspoint"

# Iterate with index and character
for index, char in enumerate(text):
    print(f"{index}: {char}")

0: t
1: u
2: t
3: o
4: r
5: i
6: a
7: l
8: s
9: p
10: o
11: i
12: n
13: t

Using Negative Indexing

Access characters from the end using negative indices ?

text = "tutorialspoint"

# Iterate using negative indexing
for i in range(-len(text), 0):
    print(text[i], end='')

tutorialspoint

Using String Slicing

Extract individual characters using slice notation ?

text = "tutorialspoint"

# Iterate using slicing
for i in range(len(text)):
    print(text[i:i+1], end='')

tutorialspoint

Comparison

Conclusion

Use direct iteration for simple character processing. Use enumerate() when you need both index and character, and index-based access when you need more control over positioning.