Python - Loop Lists


Loop Through a List

You can loop through the list items by using a for loop:

Example

Print all items in the list, one by one:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for x in thislist:
  print(x)
Try it Yourself »

Learn more about for loops in our Python For Loops Chapter.


Loop Through the Index Numbers

You can also loop through the list items by referring to their index number.

Use the range() and len() functions to create a suitable iterable.

Example

Print all items by referring to their index number:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for i in range(len(thislist)):
  print(thislist[i])
Try it Yourself »

The iterable created in the example above is [0, 1, 2].



Using a While Loop

You can loop through the list items by using a while loop.

Use the len() function to determine the length of the list, then start at 0 and loop your way through the list items by referring to their indexes.

Remember to increase the index by 1 after each iteration.

Example

Print all items, using a while loop to go through all the index numbers

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
i = 0
while i < len(thislist):
  print(thislist[i])
  i = i + 1
Try it Yourself »

Learn more about while loops in our Python While Loops Chapter.


Looping Using List Comprehension

List Comprehension offers the shortest syntax for looping through lists:

Example

A short hand for loop that will print all items in a list:

thislist = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
[print(x) for x in thislist]
Try it Yourself »

Learn more about list comprehension in the next chapter: List Comprehension.


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