This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by AK
Python's most commonly used built-in functions, organized by alphabet. Each function is explained with a brief description, an example, and some fun 🎉 emojis to make it easier and more enjoyable to learn.
🔤 A
abs() – Absolute value
Returns the absolute value of a number
abs(-7) # 7
all() – Checks if all items are True
Returns
Trueif all elements in an iterable are true
all([1, 2, 3]) # True
any() – Any item True?
Returns
Trueif at least one element is True
any([False, 0, 5]) # True
ascii() – String representation
Returns a string containing a printable representation
ascii("café") # "'caf\\xe9'"
🧮 B
bin() – Binary representation
Returns binary version of a number
bin(5) # '0b101'
bool() – Boolean value
Converts a value to Boolean (
TrueorFalse)
bool(0) # False
bytearray() – Mutable byte sequence
Creates a mutable array of bytes
bytearray('hello', 'utf-8') # bytearray(b'hello')
bytes() – Immutable byte sequence
Creates an immutable bytes object
bytes('hello', 'utf-8') # b'hello'
📞 C
chr() – Character from ASCII
Returns the character corresponding to an ASCII code
chr(65) # 'A'
complex() – Complex numbers
Creates a complex number
complex(2, 3) # (2+3j)
🗑️ D
delattr() – Delete attribute
Deletes an attribute from an object
class Car:
color = "red"
delattr(Car, "color")
dict() – Dictionary
Creates a dictionary
dict(name="Alice", age=25) # {'name': 'Alice', 'age': 25}
dir() – List attributes
Returns list of attributes of an object
dir([]) # Shows list methods like append(), sort(), etc.
divmod() – Division & Modulus
Returns quotient and remainder
divmod(10, 3) # (3, 1)
🔁 E
enumerate() – Index + Value
Returns index and value pairs
for i, val in enumerate(['a','b','c']): print(i, val)
eval() – Evaluate expression
Evaluates a string as Python code
eval("2 + 3") # 5
exec() – Execute code
Executes a block of Python code
exec("x = 5\nprint(x)") # 5
🧹 F
filter() – Filter items
Filters iterable using a function
list(filter(lambda x: x > 3, [1,2,3,4,5])) # [4,5]
float() – Float conversion
Converts a value to float
float("3.14") # 3.14
format() – Format values
Formats a string
"{} {}".format("Hello", "World") # 'Hello World'
frozenset() – Immutable set
Creates an immutable set
frozenset([1,2,3]) # frozenset({1,2,3})
💡 G
getattr() – Get attribute
Returns the value of a named attribute
class Dog: name = "Buddy"
getattr(Dog, "name") # 'Buddy'
globals() – Global variables
Returns dictionary of global variables
globals()
🔍 H
hasattr() – Check attribute
Returns
Trueif object has that attribute
hasattr(str, "upper") # True
hash() – Hash value
Returns hash of an object
hash("hello") # Some integer
help() – Documentation
Shows help documentation
help(list)
hex() – Hexadecimal
Returns hexadecimal representation
hex(255) # '0xff'
🔢 I
id() – Identity
Returns memory address of object
id("hello")
input() – User input
Takes input from user
name = input("Enter name: ")
int() – Integer conversion
Converts to integer
int("123") # 123
isinstance() – Type check
Returns
Trueif object is instance of class
isinstance(5, int) # True
issubclass() – Inheritance check
Returns
Trueif class is subclass
issubclass(bool, int) # True
iter() – Iterator
Returns iterator object
it = iter([1,2,3])
next(it) # 1
📏 L
len() – Length
Returns length of object
len("hello") # 5
list() – List
Converts to list
list((1,2,3)) # [1,2,3]
locals() – Local variables
Returns local variable dict
locals()
🔄 M
map() – Apply function
Applies function to all items
list(map(lambda x: x.upper(), ["a"])) # ['A']
max() – Maximum
Returns maximum value
max([1,2,3]) # 3
min() – Minimum
Returns minimum value
min([1,2,3]) # 1
memoryview() – Memory view
Access internal data without copying
mv = memoryview(b'Hello')
⏭️ N
next() – Next item
Returns next item from iterator
it = iter([1,2])
next(it) # 1
📦 O
object() – Base class
Returns a new featureless object
obj = object()
oct() – Octal
Returns octal representation
oct(8) # '0o10'
open() – File opener
Opens a file
with open("file.txt") as f: content = f.read()
ord() – ASCII code
Returns ASCII code for a character
ord('A') # 65
🔥 P
pow() – Power
Raises a number to a power
pow(2, 3) # 8
print() – Output
Prints output to console
print("Hello!")
property() – Property
Used in classes to create managed attributes
class Circle:
def __init__(self, radius):
self._radius = radius
@property
def radius(self):
return self._radius
🔄 R
range() – Range of numbers
Generates sequence of numbers
list(range(1, 5)) # [1,2,3,4]
repr() – Representation
Returns string representation
repr("hello") # "'hello'"
reversed() – Reverse iterator
Returns reversed iterator
list(reversed([1,2,3])) # [3,2,1]
round() – Round number
Rounds a number to n digits
round(3.1415, 2) # 3.14
🛠️ S
set() – Set
Creates a set
set([1,2,2]) # {1,2}
setattr() – Set attribute
Sets an attribute on an object
class Car: pass
setattr(Car, "color", "blue")
slice() – Slice object
Represents slicing
s = slice(1, 4)
[0,1,2,3,4][s] # [1,2,3]
sorted() – Sort
Returns sorted list
sorted([3,1,2]) # [1,2,3]
staticmethod() – Static method
Marks a method as static
class Math:
@staticmethod
def add(a, b): return a + b
str() – String
Converts to string
str(123) # '123'
sum() – Summation
Adds all items
sum([1,2,3]) # 6
super() – Parent class
Calls parent class method
class Child(Parent):
def __init__(self):
super().__init__()
📦 T
tuple() – Tuple
Converts to tuple
tuple([1,2]) # (1,2)
type() – Type
Returns type of object
type(5) # <class 'int'>
📥 V
vars() – Object attributes
Returns
__dict__of an object
class Person: pass
p = Person()
vars(p) # {}
📦 Z
zip() – Pair items
Pairs items from multiple iterables
list(zip([1,2], ['a','b'])) # [(1,'a'), (2,'b')]
🧠 Special
__import__() – Import module
Used by import system internally
math = __import__('math') # Same as import math
🚀 Summary Table
| Function | Use |
|---|---|
abs(), pow(), round()
|
Math operations |
str(), int(), float()
|
Type conversion |
list(), dict(), set()
|
Data structure creation |
map(), filter(), zip()
|
Functional tools |
len(), max(), min()
|
Size/value checks |
dir(), help(), type()
|
Debugging & introspection |
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by AK
AK | Sciencx (2025-05-30T11:50:02+00:00) 🐍 Python Built-in Functions – Ultimate Cheat Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/05/30/%f0%9f%90%8d-python-built-in-functions-ultimate-cheat-sheet/
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