Convert string to a list in Python

Convert string to a list in Python

Last Updated : 05 May, 2025

Our task is to Convert string to a list in Python. Whether we need to break a string into characters or words, there are multiple efficient methods to achieve this. In this article, we'll explore these conversion techniques with simple examples. The most common way to convert a string into a list is by using the split() method.

Using the split() Method

The split() method by default splits a string based on spaces, but it can also split using a custom delimiter.

Python

s = "Geeks for Geeks"

a = s.split()
print(a)

Output

['Geeks', 'for', 'Geeks']

Explanation: The split() method splits the string into words based on spaces.

Using list()

If we want to break down a string into list of individual characters then we can use list() function which is a simple and effective method. This approach adds each character of the string as an element in a list.

Python

s = "Geeks for Geeks"

a = list(s)
print(a)

Output

['G', 'e', 'e', 'k', 's', ' ', 'f', 'o', 'r', ' ', 'G', 'e', 'e', 'k', 's']

Explanation: The list(s) function takes every character in the string "s" and places it as an element in the list.

Using list comprehension

List comprehension can be used for converting a string into list of individual characters. This approach is particularly useful if we want to manipulate each character before adding it to the list. While a loop can also achieve the same result but list comprehension provides better readability and conciseness.

Python

s = "Geeks for Geeks"
a = [ch for ch in s]
print(a)

Output

['G', 'e', 'e', 'k', 's', ' ', 'f', 'o', 'r', ' ', 'G', 'e', 'e', 'k', 's']

Explanation: [ch for ch in s] with this list comprehension we iterate over each character (ch) in the string "s" and add it to the list.

Related Articles:

Convert integer to string in Python
Convert Object to String in Python
Convert String to Set in Python
Converting all strings in list to integers
List comprehension
Python String split()
Python list() Function

Convert string to a list in Python

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