String Slicing in Python 3 (A-1)

String Slicing in Python 3

String slicing is a powerful feature in Python that allows us to extract a portion of a string using index ranges. It is widely used in real-world applications such as data cleaning, parsing, and text processing.

---

What is String Slicing?

String slicing means extracting a part of a string by specifying a start index and an end index.

Syntax:

string[start : end : step]
  

• start → starting index (inclusive)
• end → ending index (exclusive)
• step → number of characters to skip (optional)

---

Basic String Slicing

Let us start with basic slicing examples.

text = "Programming"

print(text[0:6])
print(text[3:8])
  

Output:
Progra
gramm

---

Slicing with Missing Indexes

If the start or end index is not provided, Python automatically uses default values.

text = "Programming"

print(text[:5])
print(text[5:])
print(text[:])
  

Output:
Progr
mming
Programming

---

Negative Index Slicing

Python allows negative indexes to slice strings from the end.

text = "Programming"

print(text[-6:-1])
print(text[-4:])
  

Output:
mming
ming

---

Slicing with Step Value

The step value controls how many characters are skipped.

text = "Programming"

print(text[0:10:2])
print(text[::2])
  

Output:
Pormig
Pormig

---

Reverse a String using Slicing

One of the most common uses of slicing is reversing a string.

text = "Python"

print(text[::-1])
  

Output: nohtyP

---

Important Rules of String Slicing

• Start index is inclusive
• End index is exclusive
• Step value cannot be zero
• Out-of-range indexes do not cause errors

---

Conclusion

String slicing is a simple yet powerful concept in Python. Mastering slicing helps in solving many problems efficiently and improves overall coding skills.

© 2026 | Python 3 String Slicing Tutorial