How to Use the Python enumerate() Function

09/08/2021

Contents

In this article, you will learn how to use the Python enumerate() function.

Python enumerate() Function

The enumerate() function in Python is used to add a counter to an iterable object, such as a list, tuple, or string. The function takes two arguments: an iterable object, and an optional starting value for the counter.

Syntax

Here’s the general syntax of the enumerate() function:

enumerate(iterable, start=0)
Parameters
  • iterable: The object that you want to iterate over. It can be a list, tuple, string, or any other iterable object.
  • start: An optional argument that specifies the starting value for the counter. By default, the counter starts at 0, but you can specify a different starting value if you need to.
Example

Here’s an example that shows how to use enumerate() to loop over a list and print out each item along with its index:

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']
for i, fruit in enumerate(fruits):
    print(i, fruit)

//Output
//0 apple
//1 banana
//2 cherry

In this example, the enumerate() function is used to loop over the fruits list. The for loop is used to iterate over the result of enumerate(fruits), and i and fruit are used to capture the index and the item at each iteration.

You can also specify a different starting value for the counter by including the start argument in the call to enumerate():

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']
for i, fruit in enumerate(fruits, start=1):
    print(i, fruit)

//Output
//1 apple
//2 banana
//3 cherry

In this example, the counter starts at 1 instead of 0.

#Python