Python String split()
Python String.split() is used to split this string by given separator string into specified maximum number of items. split() method returns the parts as a list of strings.
In this tutorial, we will learn the syntax and examples for split() method of String class.
Syntax
The syntax to call split() method on string x in Python is
x.split(sep, maxsplit)
where
| Parameter | Required / Optional | Description |
|---|---|---|
| sep | Optional | A string. Specifies the separator using which this string has to be split into parts. Default value is any whitespace is a separator. |
| maxsplit | Optional | A number. Specifies the maximum number of splits that can happen for this string. Default value is -1, meaning no limit on the number of splits. |
Examples
In the following program, we take a string 'hello world apple', and split this string using default values for parameters.
Example.py
x = 'hello world apple'
result = x.split()
print('Original String : ', x)
print('Result List : ', result) Try Online Output
Original String : hello world apple Result List : ['hello', 'world', 'apple']
Now, let us specify a separator for split() method. In the following program, we take a string where the items are separated by comma. We shall split this string using separator sep=','.
Example.py
x = 'hello,world,apple'
result = x.split(sep = ',')
print('Original String : ', x)
print('Result List : ', result) Try Online Output
Original String : hello world apple Result List : ['hello', 'world', 'apple']
If we specify the maximum number of splits for the split() method, the number of splits is limited to this number.
In the following example, we specify maxsplit=2. Therefore, the maximum number of splits that happen on this string is 2.
Example.py
x = 'hello,world,apple,banana,mango'
result = x.split(sep = ',', maxsplit = 2)
print('Original String : ', x)
print('Result List : ', result) Try Online Output
Original String : hello,world,apple,banana,mango Result List : ['hello', 'world', 'apple,banana,mango']
Since there are two splits, the original string is split into three parts.
Conclusion
In this Python Tutorial, we learned how to split a string using split() method, with examples.