Convert a List to String in Python

An illustration showing different methods to convert a Python list into a string, including using the 'join()' method, list comprehension, map() function. Examples are also given for different ways.

In this tutorial, we will explain three ways of converting a list to a string in Python. These are:

  • join method
  • str/join combination
  • map() function

If your list contains only string objects then you may use the join() method to convert the list objects into a string.

Suppose, we have the following list:

lst_to_string = [‘The’,’Python’,’Tutorials’]

This is how you may use the join method:

str_join = ” “.join(lst_to_string)
Note that, The Python join method concatenates the string of a given sequence. The join() function is not specific to the list only. You may apply it to other sequences e.g. tuple, range, etc.

Learn more about join() function here

First way – an example of list to string Python using join

The join() takes a string separator e.g. space, comma, etc., and joins the elements of the given sequence – a list in that case.

See this example, where we used the above list and converted this to strings by using the join() method. The separator is a comma:

#An example of list to string conversion

lst_to_string = ['The','Python','Tutorials']

str_join = ",".join(lst_to_string)

print ("After join:",str_join)

The output:

After join: The,Python,Tutorials

Second way – using str() function

What if a list contains integers, float, or mixed objects?

If your list contains mixed elements like strings, integers, and floats then join() method will produce an error.

The solution to this situation is using the str() function for converting the integers to strings and then using the join method with the separator.

See this example where a list is created with mixed elements. It contains strings, integer,s and float objects.

#An example of list to string conversion

lst_mixed = [10, 'The','Python','Tutorials',15.5]

str_join = " ".join(str(x) for x in lst_mixed)

print ("After str and join:",str_join)

The output

After str and join: 10 The Python Tutorials 15.5

In the output, you can see the integer and float object displayed along with string objects by a space separator.

Third way: using the map function

Another trick for achieving the conversion of the list to string is using the map function with join. The map function takes a function and applies it to iterable which can be a list, tuple, etc.

The map function returns a list of the results after applying that function to the iterable. See the conversion of a list to string by using the map() for a mixed list:

#An example of list to string conversion by map and join


lst_mixed = ['List','to','String by map',9.9, 50]


str_join_map = " ".join(map(str, lst_mixed))

print ("After map and join:",str_join_map)

Output:

list-to-string map

You can see, the list contains three strings, one int, and one float object. The output displays the elements of the list as string after conversion.

Vice Versa – convert string into a list

If you require converting the strings into a list then you may use the split method. The split method takes a delimiter by which the given string is broken and it returns a list of strings. I have covered the split method in detail here with examples.

Example code:

strmet = "String to List"

print (strmet.split())

The output will be:

[‘String’, ‘to’, ‘List’]

For the complete tutorial, go to the split string tutorial.

Author - Atiq Zia

Atiq is the writer at jquery-az.com, an online tutorial website started in 2014. With a passion for coding and solutions, I navigate through various languages and frameworks. Follow along as we unravel the mysteries of coding together!