List vs. tuple vs. set vs. dictionary in Python

Python collections are used to store data, for example, lists, dictionaries, sets, and tuples, all of which are built-in collections. Let’s understand and discuss the differences between these built-in collections.

List: A list is a collection of ordered data. The lists are declared with square brackets.
Tuples: A tuple is an ordered collection of data. Tuples are enclosed within parentheses.
Sets: A set is an unordered collection. Sets are represented in curly brackets.
Dictionaries: A dictionary is an unordered collection of data that stores data in key-value pairs. Dictionaries are enclosed in curly brackets in the form of key-value pairs.

Code example

Let’s first see the difference in terms of how we create them.

# Various ways to create a list
print("List Examples")  
list1=[1,4,"Gitam",6,"college"]
list2=[]  # creates an empty list
list3=list((1,2,3))
print(list1)
print(list2)
print(list3)
# Various ways to create a tuple 
print("Tuple Examples")  
tuple1=(1,2,"college",9)
tuple2=() # creates an empty tuple
tuple3=tuple((1,3,5,9,"hello"))
print(tuple1)
print(tuple2)
print(tuple3)
# How to create a set 
print("Set Examples")  
set1={1,2,3,4,5,"hello","tup"}
set2={(1,8,"python",7)}
print(set1)
print(set2)
# How to create a dictionary  
print("Dictionary Examples")  
dict1={"key1":"value1","key2":"value2"}
dict2={}   # empty dictionary
dict3=dict({1:"apple",2:"cherry",3:"strawberry"})
print(dict1)
print(dict2)
print(dict3)

# Lists
print("Lists Examples") 
list1=["hello",1,4,8,"good"]
print(list1)
list1[0]="morning"  # assigning values ("hello" is replaced with "morning")
print(list1)
# Tuples
print("Tuples Examples") 
tuple1=("good",1,2,3,"morning")
print(tuple1)
print(tuple1[0])  # accessing values using indexing
#tuple1[1]="change"  # a value cannot be changed as they are immutable
# Sets
print("Sets Examples") 
set1={1,2,3,4,5}
print(set1)
# print(set1[0])   sets are unordered, so it does not support indexing
set1.add(6)
print(set1)
set2={3,7,1,6,1} # sets does not allow duplicate values
print(set2)
# Dictionaries
print("Dictionaries Examples") 
dict1={"key1":1,"key2":"value2",3:"value3"}
print(dict1.keys())  # all the keys are printed
print(dict1.values()) # all the values are printed
dict1["key1"]="replace_one"  # value assigned to key1 is replaced
print(dict1.values()) # all the values are printed

Manipulation Operations	Lists	Tuples	Sets	Dictionaries
Adding	The `append()` method adds a single item at the end of the list without modifying the original list	An element can’t be added to the tuple as it is immutable	The set `add()` method adds a given element to a set	The `update()` method updates the dictionary with the specified key-value pairs
Removing	The `pop()` method removes the item at the given index from the list and returns it	Tuples are immutable	The `pop()` method removes a random item from the set	The `pop()` method removes the specified item from the dictionary
Ordering	The `sort()` method sorts the elements of a given list in a specific ascending or descending order	Though tuples are ordered, the elements can’t be sorted	Elements in the set can’t be sorted as they are unordered	The `sorted()` method is used to sort the keys in the dictionary by default

# List --- Adding, Removing, Ordering
print("List Examples")  
list1=["apple","kiwi","banana","grapes"]
list1.append("strawberry")   # strawberry is added to the list
print(list1)
list1.pop()  # removes the last element from the list
print(list1)
print(list1.sort())

# Tuple --- Adding and Removing
print("Tuples Examples")  
tuple1=(1,2,3,4)
# tuple1.pop()    tuple cannot be modified
# tuple1.append()  tuple cannot be modified
print(tuple1)

# Set --- Adding and Removing
print("Sets Examples")  
set1={"water","air","food"}
set1.add("shelter")   # adds an element to the set at random position
print(set1)
set1.add("clothes")
print(set1)
set1.pop()  # removes random element from the set
print(set1)

# Dictionary --- Adding, Removing, Ordering
print("Dictionary Examples")  
dict1={"fruit1":"apple","fruit2":"banana","veg1":"tomato"}
dict1.update({"veg2":"brinjal"})
print(dict1)
dict1.update({"veg3":"chilli"})  # updates the dictionary at the end
print(dict1)
dict1.pop("veg2")
print(dict1)

Manipulation Operations	Lists	Tuples	Sets	Dictionaries
Indexing	The `index()` searches for a given element from the start of the list and returns the lowest index where the element appears	Searches the tuple for a specified value and returns the position of where it was found	The index of a particular element is not retrieved as they are unordered	The `get()` method returns the value of the item with the specified key
Counting	The `count()` method returns the number of times the specified element appears in the list	The `count()` method returns the number of times a specified value occurs in a tuple	There are no `count()` methods in sets as they don’t allow any duplicates	The `count()` method isn’t defined in the dictionary
Reversing	The `reverse()` method reverses the elements of the list.	The `reverse()` method is not defined in tuples, as they are unchangeable	The sets are unordered, which refrains from applying the `reverse()` method	The elements can’t be reversed because the items in the dictionary are in the form of key-value pairs

#List
print("List Examples:") 
list1=[1,5,3,9,"apple"]
print(list1.index(9)) # returns the index value of the particular element
list2=[2,7,8,7]
print(list2.index(7)) # returns the index value of the element at its first occurence
print(list2.index(7,2)) # returns the index value of the element from the particular start position given
#Tuple
print("Tuple Examples:") 
tuple1=(1,3,6,7,9,10)
print(tuple1.index(6))
print(tuple1.index(9))
#Set
print("Set Examples:") 
set1={1,5,6,3,9}
# set1.index()  will throw an error as they are unordered
#Dictionary
print("Dictionary Examples:") 
dict1={"key1":"value1","key2":"value2"}
# dict1.index("key1") will throw an error
print(dict1.get("key1"))

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List vs. tuple vs. set vs. dictionary in Python

Code example

Mutable vs. immutable

Code example

Manipulation characteristics

Code example

Code example

List	Tuples	Sets	Dictionaries
Lists are mutable	Tuples are immutable	Sets are mutable and have no duplicate elements	Dictionaries are mutable and keys don’t allow duplicates