Python String center() Method – Center Align a String with Padding

Python String center() Method

The center() method in Python returns a new string of a given length with the original string center-aligned, and padded with spaces or a specified fill character on both sides.

Syntax

string.center(width, fillchar=' ')

Parameters:

  • width – Total length of the final string (including the original string and padding)
  • fillchar (optional) – The character used for padding (default is space)

Returns:

  • A new centered string of specified width

Example 1: Center a String with Spaces

text = "Python"
centered = text.center(10)
print(centered)
  Python

Why? The original string is 6 characters long. To make it 10 characters wide, 2 spaces are added to each side.

Example 2: Center a String with Custom Character

text = "Python"
centered = text.center(12, '*')
print(centered)
***Python***

Note: If the number of padding characters is odd, the extra character is placed on the right side.

Use Case: Formatting Output

Centering is often used when displaying titles or headers in reports or CLI tools.

title = "Welcome"
print(title.center(30, '='))
===========Welcome===========

Common Mistakes

  • Using a multi-character string for fillchar will raise a TypeError
  • Passing a non-integer value for width will also raise an error

Interview Tip

If asked to format text output in coding interviews, methods like center(), ljust(), and rjust() are great tools to mention.

Summary

  • center() centers a string in a field of a given width
  • Spaces are used for padding by default, but you can specify a different character
  • Useful for text formatting in CLI or reports

Practice Problem

Write a program that takes a user's name and displays it centered within a line of asterisks:

name = input("Enter your name: ")
print(name.center(30, '*'))

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Python String Methods❯

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  2. 2Python String casefold() – Case-Insensitive String Comparison
  3. 3Python String center() Method – Center Align a String with Padding
  4. 4Python String count() Method – Count Substring Occurrences
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  6. 6Python String endswith() – Check if a String Ends with Substring
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  12. 12Python String isascii() Method – Check for ASCII Characters
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  14. 14Python String isdigit() Method – Check If a String Has Only Digits
  15. 15Python String isidentifier() – Check for Valid Identifiers
  16. 16Python String islower() Method – Check for Lowercase Strings
  17. 17Python String isnumeric() Method – Check for Numeric Characters
  18. 18Python String isprintable() Method – Check Printable Characters
  19. 19Python String isspace() Method – Check for Whitespace Only
  20. 20Python String istitle() Method – Check for Title Case
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  23. 23Python String ljust() Method – Left Justify a String with Spaces or Characters
  24. 24Python String lower() Method – Convert to Lowercase
  25. 25Python String lstrip() Method – Remove Leading Characters
  26. 26Python String maketrans() Method – Create Translation Tables
  27. 27Python String partition() Method – Split into Three Parts
  28. 28Python String replace() Method – Replace Substrings Easily
  29. 29Python String rfind() Method – Find Last Occurrence of Substring
  30. 30Python String rindex() Method – Find Last Occurrence of a Substring
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  32. 32Python String rpartition() Method – Split String from the Right
  33. 33Python String rsplit() Method – Split from the Right
  34. 34Python String rstrip() Method – Remove Trailing Characters
  35. 35Python String split() Method – Split Strings Easily
  36. 36Python String splitlines() Method – Split String by Line Breaks
  37. 37Python String startswith() Method – Check If a String Starts With
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  39. 39Python String swapcase() Method – Convert Uppercase to Lowercase and Vice Versa
  40. 40Python String title() Method – Convert to Title Case
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  42. 42Python String upper() Method – Convert to Uppercase
  43. 43Python String zfill() Method – Pad String with Zeros