If you’ve been coding in Python for a while, you might have heard the term “Pythonic.” But what does it really mean?

Writing Pythonically means your code is not just working, but clear, elegant, and idiomatic. You’re following the spirit of Python’s design philosophy, the Zen of Python import this
which reminds us:

“Beautiful is better than ugly. Simple is better than complex. Readability counts.”

When you follow Pythonic practices, your code is:

1. Easier to read and understand for you and your team.
2. More robust, because it avoids common pitfalls.
3. Often more efficient, taking advantage of Python’s built-in magic.

This post walks you through 10 concrete Pythonic habits – with code examples, explanations, and references from PEPs and docs so that you can explore more. Save it, share it, and use it as your checklist to level up your everyday Python code!

1. Use List Comprehensions Instead of Loops

🚫 Non-Pythonic

squares = []
for x in range(10):
    squares.append(x**2)

✅ Pythonic

squares = [x**2 for x in range(10)]

Why it’s better:

1. PEP 202 introduced list comprehensions for clarity and conciseness.
2. Faster: Runs in C under the hood.
3. Aligns with the Zen: “There should be one– and preferably only one –obvious way to do it.”

👉 Reference: PEP 202 – List Comprehensions

2. Use enumerate() Instead of range(len())

🚫 Non-Pythonic

items = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
for i in range(len(items)):
    print(i, items[i])

✅ Pythonic

for i, item in enumerate(items):
    print(i, item)

Why it’s better:

1. Safer: No index mistakes.
2. Clearer: Shows you need index + value.
3. Recommended in the Python tutorial.

3. Use zip() for Parallel Iteration

🚫 Non-Pythonic

names = ["Faruk", "Alice", "Bob"]
scores = [85, 92, 78]
for i in range(len(names)):
    print(names[i], scores[i])

✅ Pythonic

for name, score in zip(names, scores):
    print(name, score)

Why it’s better:

1. Safe: zip() stops at the shortest iterable.
2. Expressive: Intent is clear.

Officially documented: zip().

4. Use _ for Throwaway Variables

When you don’t care about a loop variable:

for _ in range(5):
    print("Hello!")

Why it’s better:

1. _ means “I don’t care.”
2. Makes your intent obvious.
3. Widely used in the standard library.

5. Use .get() with Dictionaries to Avoid KeyError

🚫 Non-Pythonic

person = {"name": "Faruk"}
age = person["age"]  # Raises KeyError if missing

✅ Pythonic

age = person.get("age", 30)  # Fallback to 30

Why it’s better:

numbers = [x**2 for x in range(1_000_000)]

numbers = (x**2 for x in range(1_000_000))

temp = a
a = b
b = temp

a, b = b, a

nums = [1, 2, 3, 4]

if any(x > 3 for x in nums):
    print("At least one number > 3")

if all(x > 0 for x in nums):
    print("All numbers positive")

person = ("Faruk", "Ahmad", 32)
first, last, age = person
print(f"Name: {first} {last}, Age: {age}")

file = open("data.txt")
try:
    content = file.read()
finally:
    file.close()

with open("data.txt") as file:
    content = file.read()