Python String `find()` Method

The Python string find() method searches for a substring inside a string.

It returns the index of the first match. If the text is not found, it returns -1.

Use find() when you want the position of some text and it is normal for that text to be missing.

text = "hello world"
position = text.find("world")
print(position)   # 6

missing = text.find("python")
print(missing)    # -1

Use find() when you want the position of a substring. It returns -1 if the substring is not found.

What `find()` does

find() is a string method that:

Searches a string for a substring
Returns the index of the first match
Returns -1 if no match is found
Does not change the original string

Example:

text = "banana"

print(text.find("na"))   # 2
print(text.find("x"))    # -1
print(text)              # banana

Here, "na" first appears at index 2.

Basic syntax

The syntax is:

string.find(value, start, end)

Parameters

value: the text to search for
start: optional starting position
end: optional ending position

start and end let you search only part of the string.

Basic example:

text = "hello world"

print(text.find("o"))        # 4
print(text.find("o", 5))     # 7
print(text.find("o", 5, 7))  # -1

What the return value means

The return value from find() is always an integer.

A number 0 or greater means the substring was found
The number is the starting position of the match
-1 means the substring was not found

Example:

text = "python"

print(text.find("py"))   # 0
print(text.find("th"))   # 2
print(text.find("z"))    # -1

A common beginner mistake is expecting find() to return True or False.

It does not return a Boolean value. It returns the position of the match.

Using `start` and `end`

Use start to skip the earlier part of a string.

Use end to stop searching before a certain position.

The end position is not included in the search.

text = "one two three two"

print(text.find("two"))        # 4
print(text.find("two", 5))     # 14
print(text.find("two", 0, 7))  # 4
print(text.find("two", 0, 4))  # -1

This is useful when you only want to search inside part of a string before slicing or processing it further.

If you want to split text after finding a separator, see how to split a string in Python or the split() string method.

Case sensitivity

find() is case-sensitive.

That means "Hello" and "hello" are treated as different text.

text = "Hello World"

print(text.find("Hello"))  # 0
print(text.find("hello"))  # -1

If you want a case-insensitive search, convert both values to the same case first.

text = "Hello World"

print(text.lower().find("hello"))  # 0

`find()` vs `index()`

find() and index() are similar, but they behave differently when the substring is missing.

find() returns -1
index() raises a ValueError

Use find() when missing text is normal.

Use index() when the value must exist.

text = "hello"

print(text.find("x"))   # -1

text = "hello"

print(text.index("x"))  # ValueError

If you want to learn the difference in more detail, see the index() string method. If your code crashes because of index(), read how to fix ValueError: substring not found.

Common beginner use cases

Beginners often use find() for simple string search tasks like these:

Check whether part of a string exists
Get the position of a word
Find separators like commas, colons, or spaces
Search before slicing a string

Example: finding a colon before slicing

text = "name:Alice"
colon_pos = text.find(":")

if colon_pos != -1:
    label = text[:colon_pos]
    value = text[colon_pos + 1:]
    print(label)  # name
    print(value)  # Alice

If you only want to check whether text exists, you may also want to read how to check if a string contains a substring in Python.

Common mistakes

These are some common beginner mistakes when using find():

Expecting find() to return True or False instead of an index
Forgetting that the method returns -1 when the substring is missing
Using find() without handling case differences
Confusing find() with index()
Assuming find() changes the string

Example of a mistake:

text = "hello"

if text.find("h"):
    print("Found")
else:
    print("Not found")

This prints:

Not found

That happens because "h" is found at index 0, and 0 is treated as false in an if statement.

A safer version is:

text = "hello"

if text.find("h") != -1:
    print("Found")
else:
    print("Not found")

You can also debug string search problems with simple checks like these:

print(text.find('word'))
print(repr(text))
print(text.lower().find('word'))
print(len(text))
print(text.find('word', start, end))

These help you check:

The actual result from find()
Hidden spaces or newline characters with repr()
Case differences with lower()
The string length
Whether your start and end values are correct

FAQ

What does Python string `find()` return if the text is not found?

It returns -1.

Does `find()` return the first match or all matches?

It returns the index of the first match only.

Is Python `find()` case-sensitive?

Yes. Uppercase and lowercase letters are treated as different.

What is the difference between `find()` and `index()` in Python?

find() returns -1 if not found, while index() raises a ValueError.

Can I use `find()` to search only part of a string?

Yes. Use the optional start and end arguments.

Python String find() Method

Python String `find()` Method