Iterate over characters of a string in Python (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 11 Jul, 2025

In this article, we will learn how to iterate over the characters of a string in Python. There are several methods to do this, but we will focus on the most efficient one. The simplest way is to use a **loop. Let’s explore this approach.

Using for loop

The simplest way to iterate over the characters in a string is by using a for loop. This method is efficient and easy to understand.

Python `

s = "hello"

for char in s: print(char)

`

**Explanation: for char in s: This line loops through the string **s, with char representing each character in **s one by one.

Using enumerate for Index Access

If we need both the **character and its **index then enumerate() is a great choice. It returns both values in each iteration.

Python `

s = "hello"

for i, char in enumerate(s): print(f"Index {i}: {char}")

`

Output

Index 0: h Index 1: e Index 2: l Index 3: l Index 4: o

**Explanation:

• **enumerate(s) provides both the index **i and the character **char.
• The print function uses a formatted string, where the **f before the string allows us to include variables directly within it using **curly braces {}.