Python String Methods

In Python, strings are one of the most commonly used data types. To help you work with text easily, Python gives you many built-in string methods.

These methods let you change, check, or find things in strings without writing a lot of extra code.

List of Python String Methods

Below is a complete list of all string methods in Python, explained simply so even beginners can understand.

Method	Description
capitalize()	Converts the first character to upper case
casefold()	Converts string into lower case (more aggressive than lower())
center()	Returns a centered string with padding
count()	Counts how many times a value appears in the string
encode()	Encodes the string using a specified encoding (like UTF-8)
endswith()	Checks if the string ends with the specified value
expandtabs()	Sets the tab size (replaces tabs with spaces)
find()	Returns the first position of a value, or -1 if not found
format()	Formats strings using placeholders
format_map()	Formats strings using a dictionary map
index()	Like find(), but raises an error if not found
isalnum()	Returns True if all characters are letters or numbers
isalpha()	Returns True if all characters are letters
isascii()	Returns True if all characters are ASCII
isdecimal()	Returns True if all characters are decimals
isdigit()	Returns True if all characters are digits
isidentifier()	Returns True if the string is a valid Python identifier
islower()	Returns True if all characters are lowercase
isnumeric()	Returns True if all characters are numeric
isprintable()	Returns True if all characters can be printed
isspace()	Returns True if the string only contains whitespace
istitle()	Returns True if each word starts with a capital letter
isupper()	Returns True if all characters are uppercase
join()	Joins items in an iterable into one string
ljust()	Returns a left-justified version of the string
lower()	Converts all characters to lowercase
lstrip()	Removes leading whitespace or characters
maketrans()	Creates a translation map for use with translate()
partition()	Splits the string into 3 parts: before, match, and after
replace()	Replaces part of the string with another string
rfind()	Finds the last occurrence of a value
rindex()	Like rfind(), but raises an error if not found
rjust()	Returns a right-justified version of the string
rpartition()	Splits the string from the right into 3 parts
rsplit()	Splits the string from the right
rstrip()	Removes trailing whitespace or characters
split()	Splits the string by a separator
splitlines()	Splits the string at line breaks
startswith()	Checks if the string starts with the specified value
strip()	Removes whitespace or characters from both ends
swapcase()	Swaps lowercase to uppercase and vice versa
title()	Converts the first character of each word to uppercase
translate()	Returns a translated version of the string
upper()	Converts all characters to uppercase
zfill()	Fills the string with zeros from the left

How to Use This List

Click on any method name in our full course (coming soon) to see syntax, examples, and beginner exercises. Practice using them to build your confidence working with strings!

Next Steps

• Start with common ones like lower(), replace(), split(), and join()
• Try combining multiple methods for more advanced text processing
• Use interactive Python shell or an online compiler to test each method

Mastering string methods will help you with file handling, user input processing, and working with APIs or databases. Strings are everywhere in Python!