.replace()

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Sriparno08
Published Apr 24, 2021Updated Jun 18, 2025
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In Python, the .replace() method replaces all occurrences of a specified substring with another substring in a string. It is commonly used for text processing, data cleaning, and formatting tasks.

Syntax

string.replace(old, new, count)

Parameters:

  • old: The substring to be replaced.
  • new: The substring to replace with.
  • count (optional): Specifies the number of occurrences of the given substring to be replaced. If not specified, all occurrences of the given substring is replaced.

Return value:

The .replace() method returns another string with the given substring replaced.

Example 1: Basic Usage of .replace()

This example uses the .replace() method to replace “world” with “Codecademy” in the welcome string:

welcome = "Hello, world!"


welcome = welcome.replace("world", "Codecademy")


print(welcome)

Here is the output:

Hello, Codecademy!

Example 2: Using .replace() with count

This example uses the .replace() method with the count parameter to replace only the first occurrence (count = 1) of “like” with “love” in the var string:

var = "I like cats and cats like me."


var = var.replace("like", "love", 1)


print(var)

Here is the output:

I love cats and cats like me.

Codebyte Example: Removing Substrings Using .replace()

This codebyte example uses the .replace() method to remove “elephant “ from the myVar string:

Code
Output
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Frequently Asked Questions


1. Is .replace() case-sensitive?


Yes, .replace() is case-sensitive. For example, "Hello".replace("h", "J") won’t work because “h” is not the same as “H”.


2. Can .replace() be used with variables?


Yes. You can use variables for both old and new values in .replace():


old = "apple"
new = "orange"


fruit_text = "I like apple pie."


print(fruit_text.replace(old, new))




Here is the output:


I like orange pie.




3. Can you replace substrings in a loop using .replace()?


Yes, and you can also chain .replace() calls for multiple replacements:


text = "I love red and blue."


text = text.replace("red", "green").replace("blue", "yellow")


print(text)




Here is the output:


I love green and yellow.




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