Are you interested in learning Python? Have you wondered about what specific terms mean in Python? One such heavily researched topic is “Single vs Double Quotes in Python” and this article will explore the same.

What is Python?

The Python programming language is a potent, high-level, object-oriented language.1 The Python programming language is versatile, with a design philosophy that strongly emphasizes code readability. The Python programming language design philosophy heavily emphasizes code readability, making it a flexible language. It is preferred over other programming languages for having expressive and lively syntax. It is one of the most widely used programming languages today and is readable and, as a result, simple to learn for beginners.1,2 

To understand single vs double quotes in Python, we must first understand what strings are.

Strings in Python

In the Python programming language, a contiguous group of characters enclosed in quotation marks is referred to as a string. The string functions in Python are widely used, and strings can be represented in two different ways: single quotes and double quotes. These are used to enclose strings. Both approaches are suitable, depending on the situation. When using single or double quotes together in a string, you sometimes have to use them alternately so that you can distinguish between them.3,4

Single Quotes

A single quote might be a straight quote in the headline of a news piece or a quote within a quote. As a best practice in Python, single quotes should be used to enclose short and small strings, such as identifiers or string literals. Using single quotes to encapsulate complete sentences and articles is also permitted. 5,6

Double Quotes

String representation in Python programming involves double quotes. A double quotation mark is used to begin a direct quotation (word for word). For string interpolations, natural language communications, and whenever you believe that you will find single quotes within the string, it is recommended to use double quotes.5,6

Single vs Double Quotes in Python

Below are some essential distinctions between single vs double quotes in Python.5,6,7

  • Single quotations are denoted by the symbol(‘ ‘)while double quotes are denoted by(” “).
  • Regular expressions, dict keys, and SQL all employ single quotes, whereas string representation uses double quotes.
  • Single quotes should be used for anything that behaves like an identifier, whereas double quotes are typically reserved for text.

Thus, Python can represent strings using both single and double quotes, although there are situations when we prefer to use one over the other. The decision of whether to use single or double quotations is up to the coder.

If you enjoyed reading this article and found it helpful, you can read more articles like: JavaTM Vs. Javascript®, JavaTM Vs. Javascript®, C vs. C++, Hardware vs Software, Firmware Vs. Software, and so much more on BYJU’S FutureSchool Blog.

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References

  1. The 10 Most Popular Programming Languages to Learn in 2022. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2022, from https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/most-popular-programming-languages/ 
  2. Top 3 Programming Languages To Learn in 2022 | by Coding Made Simple | Geek Culture | Medium. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://medium.com/geekculture/top-3-programming-languages-to-learn-in-2021-7b2b41dc7484 
  3. Python Strings  |  Python Education  |  Google Developers. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://developers.google.com/edu/python/strings 
  4. Programming and Problem Solving through Python Language O Level / A Level. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, fromhttps://www.nielit.gov.in/gorakhpur/sites/default/files/Gorakhpur/ALevel_1_Python_8Apr20_SS.pdf 
  5. Difference Between Single and Double Quotes in Python – AskPython. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://www.askpython.com/python/string/difference-between-single-and-double-quotes-in-python 
  6. Python Single Vs Double Quotes: Which One You Should Use? (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://pennbookcenter.com/python-single-vs-double-quotes/ 
  7. Python Single vs. Double Quotes – Which Should You Use And Why? | Better Data Science. (n.d.). Retrieved December 21, 2022, from https://betterdatascience.com/python-single-vs-double-quotes/ 
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