 Tutorials  Exercises  Get Certified  Services  Bootcamps Spaces Sign Up Log in

Dark mode
Dark code
HTML CSS JAVASCRIPT SQL PYTHON JAVA PHP BOOTSTRAP HOW TO W3.CSS C C++ C# REACT R JQUERY DJANGO   

Python Tutorial ADVERTISEMENT

Python HOME
Python Intro
Python Get Started

Python For Loops

Python Syntax
Python Comments
Python Variables
Python Data Types ❮ Previous Next ❯
Python Numbers
Python Casting
Python Strings
Python Booleans
Python For Loops
Python Operators
A for loop is used for iterating over a sequence (that is either a list, a tuple, a dictionary, a set, or a string).
Python Lists
Python Tuples This is less like the for keyword in other programming languages, and works more like an iterator method as found in other
Python Sets object-orientated programming languages.
Python Dictionaries
With the for loop we can execute a set of statements, once for each item in a list, tuple, set etc.
Python If...Else
Python While Loops
Python For Loops
Example Get your own Python Server
Python Functions
Python Lambda Print each fruit in a fruit list:
Python Arrays
Python Classes/Objects fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
Python Inheritance for x in fruits:
print(x)

Try it Yourself »

The for loop does not require an indexing variable to set beforehand.

Looping Through a String

Even strings are iterable objects, they contain a sequence of characters:

Example COLOR PICKER

Loop through the letters in the word "banana":

for x in "banana":
print(x)

Try it Yourself »

The break Statement

With the break statement we can stop the loop before it has looped through all the items:

Example
Exit the loop when x is "banana":

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

for x in fruits:
print(x)
if x == "banana":
break

Try it Yourself »

Example
Exit the loop when x is "banana", but this time the break comes before the print:
ADVERTISEMENT

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

for x in fruits:
if x == "banana":
break
print(x)

Try it Yourself »

ADVERTISEMENT

The continue Statement

With the continue statement we can stop the current iteration of the loop, and continue with the next:

Example
Do not print banana:

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

for x in fruits:
if x == "banana":
continue
print(x)

Try it Yourself »

The range() Function

To loop through a set of code a specified number of times, we can use the range() function,

The range() function returns a sequence of numbers, starting from 0 by default, and increments by 1 (by default), and ends at
a specified number.

Example
Using the range() function:

for x in range(6):
print(x)

Try it Yourself »

Note that range(6) is not the values of 0 to 6, but the values 0 to 5.

The range() function defaults to 0 as a starting value, however it is possible to specify the starting value by adding a parameter:
range(2, 6) , which means values from 2 to 6 (but not including 6):

Example
Using the start parameter:

for x in range(2, 6):

print(x)

Try it Yourself »

The range() function defaults to increment the sequence by 1, however it is possible to specify the increment value by adding a
third parameter: range(2, 30, 3) :

Example
Increment the sequence with 3 (default is 1):

for x in range(2, 30, 3):

print(x)

Try it Yourself »

Else in For Loop

The else keyword in a for loop specifies a block of code to be executed when the loop is finished:

Example
Print all numbers from 0 to 5, and print a message when the loop has ended:

for x in range(6):
print(x)
else:
print("Finally finished!")

Try it Yourself »

Note: The else block will NOT be executed if the loop is stopped by a break statement.

Example
Break the loop when x is 3, and see what happens with the else block:

for x in range(6):
if x == 3: break
print(x)
else:
print("Finally finished!")

Try it Yourself »

Nested Loops
A nested loop is a loop inside a loop.

The "inner loop" will be executed one time for each iteration of the "outer loop":

Example
Print each adjective for every fruit:

adj = ["red", "big", "tasty"]

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

for x in adj:
for y in fruits:
print(x, y)

Try it Yourself »

The pass Statement

for loops cannot be empty, but if you for some reason have a for loop with no content, put in the pass statement to avoid
getting an error.

Example

for x in [0, 1, 2]:

pass

Try it Yourself »

Test Yourself With Exercises

Exercise:
Loop through the items in the fruits list.

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

x fruits
print(x)

Submit Answer »

Start the Exercise

❮ Previous Log in to track progress Next ❯

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Spaces Upgrade Newsletter Get Certified Report Error

Top Tutorials Top References Top Examples Get Certified

HTML Tutorial HTML Reference HTML Examples HTML Certificate
CSS Tutorial CSS Reference CSS Examples CSS Certificate
JavaScript Tutorial JavaScript Reference JavaScript Examples JavaScript Certificate
How To Tutorial SQL Reference How To Examples Front End Certificate
SQL Tutorial Python Reference SQL Examples SQL Certificate
Python Tutorial W3.CSS Reference Python Examples Python Certificate
W3.CSS Tutorial Bootstrap Reference W3.CSS Examples PHP Certificate
Bootstrap Tutorial PHP Reference Bootstrap Examples jQuery Certificate
PHP Tutorial HTML Colors PHP Examples Java Certificate
Java Tutorial Java Reference Java Examples C++ Certificate
C++ Tutorial Angular Reference XML Examples C# Certificate
jQuery Tutorial jQuery Reference jQuery Examples XML Certificate

FORUM | ABOUT

W3Schools is optimized for learning and training. Examples might be simplified to improve reading and learning. Tutorials, references, and examples are constantly reviewed to avoid errors, but we
cannot warrant full correctness of all content. While using W3Schools, you agree to have read and accepted our terms of use, cookie and privacy policy.

Copyright 1999-2023 by Refsnes Data. All Rights Reserved.

W3Schools is Powered by W3.CSS.