Python Built-in Functions Cheat Sheet

Reference guide to Python's built-in functions. Learn how to use print, len, range, enumerate, zip, map, filter, and more.

Utility & Sequence Functions

Pre-defined helper routines designed for managing sequence indexing and structures.

MethodSyntaxDescription
len()len(s)Returns the length (number of items) of an object.
range()range(start, stop, [step])Returns an immutable sequence of numbers starting from start up to stop.
enumerate()enumerate(iterable, start=0)Returns an enumerate object yielding tuples containing index and value.
zip()zip(*iterables)Returns an iterator of tuples aggregation corresponding values across inputs.
sorted()sorted(iterable, key=None, reverse=False)Returns a new sorted list from the items in iterable.
reversed()reversed(seq)Returns a reverse iterator over the values of a sequence.

Evaluation & Functional Tools

Routines supporting verification, aggregation, and mathematical reduction.

MethodSyntaxDescription
map()map(function, iterable)Applies function to all items in iterable and returns an iterator.
filter()filter(function, iterable)Constructs an iterator from elements of iterable for which function returns true.
any()any(iterable)Returns True if at least one element of the iterable evaluates to True.
all()all(iterable)Returns True if all elements of the iterable evaluate to True.
sum()sum(iterable, start=0)Sums start and the items of an iterable from left to right.
round()round(number, ndigits=None)Rounds a number to ndigits decimal precision.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does zip() handle iterables of different lengths?

By default, zip() stops when the shortest iterable is exhausted. In Python 3.10+, you can pass strict=True to raise a ValueError if lengths differ.

What is the difference between sorted() and list.sort()?

sorted() returns a new sorted list and accepts any iterable, whereas list.sort() sorts the list in-place and returns None.

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