How do you replace letters in python?

In this tutorial, we will learn about the Python replace() method with the help of examples.

The replace() method replaces each matching occurrence of the old character/text in the string with the new character/text.

Example

text = 'bat ball'

# replace b with c replaced_text = text.replace('b', 'c')

print(replaced_text) # Output: cat call


replace() Syntax

It's syntax is:

str.replace(old, new [, count]) 

replace() Parameters

The replace() method can take maximum of 3 parameters:

  • old - old substring you want to replace
  • new - new substring which will replace the old substring
  • count (optional) - the number of times you want to replace the old substring with the new substring

Note: If count is not specified, the replace() method replaces all occurrences of the old substring with the new substring.


replace() Return Value

The replace() method returns a copy of the string where the old substring is replaced with the new substring. The original string is unchanged.

If the old substring is not found, it returns the copy of the original string.


Example 1: Using replace()

song = 'cold, cold heart'

# replacing 'cold' with 'hurt' print(song.replace('cold', 'hurt'))

song = 'Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be'

# replacing only two occurences of 'let' print(song.replace('let', "don't let", 2))

Output

hurt, hurt heart
Let it be, don't let it be, don't let it be, let it be

More Examples on String replace()

song = 'cold, cold heart'

replaced_song = song.replace('o', 'e')

# The original string is unchanged print('Original string:', song) print('Replaced string:', replaced_song) song = 'let it be, let it be, let it be' # maximum of 0 substring is replaced # returns copy of the original string

print(song.replace('let', 'so', 0))

Output

Original string: cold, cold heart
Replaced string: celd, celd heart
let it be, let it be, let it be

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    The replace() in Python returns a copy of the string where all occurrences of a substring are replaced with another substring. 

    Syntax of replace()

    Syntax: string.replace(old, new, count)

    Parameters: 

    • old – old substring you want to replace.
    • new – new substring which would replace the old substring.
    • count – (Optional ) the number of times you want to replace the old substring with the new substring. 

    Return Value : It returns a copy of the string where all occurrences of a substring are replaced with another substring. 

    Replace All Instances of a Single Character using replace()

    In this example, we are only replacing a single character from a given string. The Python replace() method is case-sensitive, and therefore it performs a case-sensitive substring substitution, i.e. R in FOR is unchanged.

    Python3

    string = "grrks FOR grrks"

    new_string = string.replace("r", "e" )

    print(string)

    print(new_string)

    Output : 

    grrks FOR grrks
    geeks FOR geeks

    Replace All Instances of a String

    Here, we replaced all the geeks with GeeksforGeeks using replace() function.

    Python3

    string = "geeks for geeks \ngeeks for geeks"

    print(string)

    print(string.replace("geeks", "GeeksforGeeks"))

    Output : 

    geeks for geeks 
    geeks for geeks
    GeeksforGeeks for GeeksforGeeks 
    GeeksforGeeks for GeeksforGeeks

    How do you replace letters in python?

    Replace Only a Certain Number of Instances using replace()

    In this example, we are replacing certain numbers of words. i.e. “ek” with “a” with count=3.

    Python3

    string = "geeks for geeks geeks geeks geeks"

    print(string.replace("e", "a"))

    print(string.replace("ek", "a", 3))

    Output:  

    gaaks for gaaks gaaks gaaks gaaks
    geas for geas geas geeks geeks

    Can you replace words in Python?

    Python String replace() Method The replace() method replaces a specified phrase with another specified phrase. Note: All occurrences of the specified phrase will be replaced, if nothing else is specified.

    How do you replace all letters in a string in Python?

    Python: Replace multiple characters in a string using the replace() In Python, the String class (Str) provides a method replace(old, new) to replace the sub-strings in a string. It replaces all the occurrences of the old sub-string with the new sub-string.

    How do you replace letters in a string?

    The Java string replace() method will replace a character or substring with another character or string. The syntax for the replace() method is string_name. replace(old_string, new_string) with old_string being the substring you'd like to replace and new_string being the substring that will take its place.