Learning Python – Post 4: Useful String Methods

I’m not trying to learn every Python string method — just the ones that are actually useful when working with text.
Here are a few I’ve been practicing, with examples that helped me remember them.

`upper()` — Make It Loud

Converts all letters in a string to uppercase.

text = "hello world"
print(text.upper())  # HELLO WORLD

`strip()` — Clean the Edges

Removes any extra spaces at the start and end of a string.

messy = "   Python is fun   "
cleaned = messy.strip()
print(cleaned)  # "Python is fun"

`replace()` — Swap Things Out

Replaces one part of the string with another. Great for removing characters too.

text = "L e a r n i n g"
no_spaces = text.replace(" ", "")
print(no_spaces)  # "Learning"

`find()` — Where Is It?

Tells you the index of the first time something appears. Returns -1 if not found.

line = "I love Python"
print(line.find("Python"))  # 7
print(line.find("Java"))    # -1

`split()` — Break It Down

Breaks a string into a list of words, by spaces (or another separator).

sentence = "Keep it simple"
words = sentence.split()
print(words)  # ['Keep', 'it', 'simple']

`join()` — Put It Back Together

Joins a list of words into a single string, using the separator you choose.

words = ["Keep", "it", "simple"]
line = " ".join(words)
print(line)  # "Keep it simple"

`startswith()` — Does It Begin With…?

Returns True if the string starts with a certain value.

phrase = "Python is great"
print(phrase.startswith("Python"))  # True

`len()` — Count Everything

Returns the total number of characters in a string (spaces included).

msg = "Hello!"
print(len(msg))  # 6

`lower()` – Make It Quiet

Converts all letters to lowercase.

pythonKopierenBearbeitenname = "BENgi"
print(name.lower())  # bengi

`in` – Is It There?

Checks whether something exists inside a string. Returns True or False.

text = "Python is awesome"
print("awesome" in text)   # True
print("Java" in text)      # False

`isalpha()` – Only Letters?

Returns True if all characters are letters (no spaces, no numbers).

word = "hello"
print(word.isalpha())  # True

word = "hello123"
print(word.isalpha())  # False

`isdigit()` – Only Numbers?

Checks if all characters are digits.

num = "2025"
print(num.isdigit())  # True

num = "20a5"
print(num.isdigit())  # False

`islower()` / `isupper()` – All Lower / All Upper?

Checks if the entire string is lowercase or uppercase.

msg = "hello"
print(msg.islower())  # True

shout = "HEY"
print(shout.isupper())  # True

`title()` – Like a Book Title

Capitalizes the first letter of each word.

text = "python for beginners"
print(text.title())  # Python For Beginners

`capitalize()` – First Word Only

Only the first character becomes uppercase; the rest lowercase.

text = "hELLO world"
print(text.capitalize())  # Hello world