Python String: Creating a String

Learn the basic ways to create strings in Python. This page focuses only on making string values, not changing or processing them.

name = "Alice"
message = 'Hello'
empty = ""
text = str(123)

print(name)
print(message)
print(empty)
print(text)

Note: Use single quotes, double quotes, or str() to create a string. Triple quotes are useful for multi-line text.

What this page covers

What a string is in Python
How to create a string with quotes
How to create an empty string
How to convert other values to strings with str()
When to use single, double, or triple quotes

What a string is

A string is text data in Python.

Strings can contain:

Letters
Numbers
Spaces
Symbols

Examples of strings:

"hello"
"123"
"Python is fun"

Even though "123" looks like a number, it is a string because it is inside quotes.

You can check the type with type():

text = "123"
number = 123

print(type(text))
print(type(number))

Output:

<class 'str'>
<class 'int'>

If you are new to strings, see Python strings explained: basics and examples.

Create a string with quotes

The most common way to create a string is to put text inside quotes.

You can use single quotes:

greeting = 'hello'
print(greeting)

Or double quotes:

greeting = "hello"
print(greeting)

Both create a string. In most cases, there is no difference.

Choose the style that makes your text easier to write.

Create an empty string

An empty string is a string with no characters in it.

Use either "" or '':

empty1 = ""
empty2 = ''

print(empty1)
print(empty2)
print(type(empty1))

Output:

<class 'str'>

An empty string is often used as a starting value before adding text later.

Create a multi-line string

Use triple quotes when you want text to span more than one line.

You can use triple double quotes:

message = """Hello
Welcome to Python
Have a nice day"""

print(message)

Or triple single quotes:

message = '''Line 1
Line 2
Line 3'''

print(message)

Python keeps the line breaks inside the string.

Use triple quotes when you really need multiple lines. For normal one-line text, single or double quotes are usually clearer.

Convert values to strings with str()

The str() function converts other values into strings.

Example with a number:

text = str(42)
print(text)
print(type(text))

Output:

42
<class 'str'>

You can also convert other values:

print(str(True))
print(str(3.14))

This is useful when you need to combine text with other data.

age = 25
message = "Age: " + str(age)

print(message)

If you want to learn this function in more detail, see Python str() function explained or how to convert int to string in Python.

Single quotes vs double quotes

There is no major difference between single quotes and double quotes for normal strings.

Both of these are valid:

a = 'Python'
b = "Python"

A common rule is:

Use double quotes if the text contains a single quote
Use single quotes if the text contains double quotes
Pick one style and stay consistent

Example:

text1 = "It's working"
text2 = 'She said "hello"'

print(text1)
print(text2)

This helps you avoid unnecessary escaping.

Escaping quote characters

A quote character can end a string too early if it matches the quote used to start the string.

For example, this causes a problem:

# This will cause an error
# text = 'It's working'

Python sees the second ' in It's as the end of the string.

To fix this, use a backslash:

text = 'It\'s working'
print(text)

You can also switch quote styles:

text = "It's working"
print(text)

In many cases, switching quote styles is simpler than escaping.

If you get a quote-related error, see SyntaxError: EOL while scanning string literal.

Common mistakes

Here are some common problems beginners run into when creating strings.

Forgetting quotes around text

If you write text without quotes, Python treats it like a variable name.

# This will cause an error
# name = Alice

Python may raise a NameError because Alice is not defined.

Correct version:

name = "Alice"
print(name)

Mixing quote characters incorrectly

This can break the string early and cause a syntax error.

# This will cause an error
# text = 'It's good'

Fix it by escaping the quote or changing quote styles:

text1 = 'It\'s good'
text2 = "It's good"

print(text1)
print(text2)

Using triple quotes when a single-line string is enough

Triple quotes work, but they are usually best for multi-line text.

text = """hello"""
print(text)

This is valid, but for one line, this is simpler:

text = "hello"
print(text)

Assuming `123` and `"123"` are the same type

They are different:

value1 = 123
value2 = "123"

print(type(value1))
print(type(value2))

Output:

<class 'int'>
<class 'str'>

Trying to join text and numbers without converting first

This causes a type error:

# This will cause an error
# age = 10
# message = "Age: " + age

Fix it with str():

age = 10
message = "Age: " + str(age)

print(message)

For this specific error, see TypeError: can only concatenate str not int to str.

Useful debugging checks

If you are not sure what value you created, these commands help:

text = "hello"

print(text)
print(type(text))
print(repr(text))

print(text) shows the value
print(type(text)) shows the data type
print(repr(text)) shows the exact string representation, which is helpful for spaces and escape characters

FAQ

How do I create a string in Python?

Put text inside single quotes or double quotes, like 'hello' or "hello".

What is the difference between single and double quotes in Python?

Usually none. They both create strings. Choose the one that avoids extra escaping.

How do I create an empty string?

Use "" or ''.

How do I turn a number into a string?

Use str(), like str(10), which returns "10".

How do I write a string on multiple lines?

Use triple quotes so Python keeps the line breaks.