What is the Difference Between append and extend in Python?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between the append() and extend() methods in Python lies in their behavior when adding elements to a list:
- append():
- Adds a single element to the end of the list.
- The element is added as a single item, increasing the list's length by one.
- Syntax:
list.append(element). - extend():
- Adds each element from the iterable (such as a list, tuple, or string) to the list's end individually.
- The length of the list increases by the number of elements in the iterable.
- Syntax:
list.extend(iterable).
In summary, append() is used to add a single element to the end of a list, while extend() is used to add multiple elements from an iterable to the list's end.
Comparative Table: append vs extend in Python
The main difference between the append() and extend() methods in Python lies in their behavior when adding elements to a list:
append(): This method adds a single element to the end of the list. It takes a single element as its argument and returns the updated list. The original list is modified in place.
extend(): This method adds multiple elements to the end of the list by concatenating the elements from an iterable (such as a list, tuple, or string) to the existing list. It takes an iterable as its argument and returns the modified list.
Here is a summary of their key differences in a table format:
| Feature | append() | extend() |
|---|---|---|
| Effect | Adds a single element to the end of the list. | Adds multiple individual elements to the end of the list. |
| Argument | Takes a single element as its argument. | Takes an iterable (list, tuple, dictionary, set, string) as its argument. |
In summary, you should use append() when you want to add a single element to the end of a list, and extend() when you want to add multiple elements to the end of a list by concatenating them from an iterable.
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