Tuple Slicing Python (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

Python tuples are immutable sequences used to store collections of heterogeneous data. They are similar to lists but cannot be changed once created. One of the powerful features of Python is slicing, which allows us to extract a portion of a sequence and this feature is applicable to tuples as well.

In this article, we will explore how to perform slicing on tuples, including the syntax, examples and practical uses.

What is Tuple Slicing?

Tuple slicing is a technique to extract a sub-part of a tuple. It uses a range of indices to create a new tuple from the original tuple.

Basic Slicing Examples

Let's consider a tuple and perform some basic slicing operations.

Python `

Define a tuple

tup = (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Slice from index 2 to 5

s1 = tup[2:6] print(s1)

Slice from the beginning to index 3

s2 = tup[:4] print(s2)

Slice from index 5 to the end

s3 = tup[5:] print(s3)

Slice the entire tuple

s4 = tup[:] print(s4)

`

Output

(2, 3, 4, 5) (0, 1, 2, 3) (5, 6, 7, 8, 9) (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Let's explore tuple slicing in detail:

Table of Content

Syntax:

The syntax for slicing is straightforward:

tuple[start:stop:step]

Using Negative Indices

Negative indices can be used to slice tuples from the end.

Python `

Define a tuple

tup = (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Slice from the third last to the end

s1 = tup[-3:] print(s1)

Slice from the beginning to the third last

s2 = tup[:-3] print(s2)

Slice from the third last to the second last

s3 = tup[-3:-1] print(s3)

`

Output

(7, 8, 9) (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) (7, 8)

Using Step in Slicing

The step parameter allows us to define the increment between indices for the slice.

Python `

Define a tuple

tup = (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

Slice with a step of 2

s1 = tup[1:8:2] print(s1)

Slice with a negative step (reverse the tuple)

s2 = tup[::-1] print(s2)

`

Output

(1, 3, 5, 7) (9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0)