How to Print a Zipped list in Python

# Table of Contents

1. Print a zipped list in Python
2. Zip with List output instead of Tuple in Python

# Print a zipped list in Python

To print a zipped list:

1. Use the zip() function to get an iterator of tuples.
2. Use the list() class to convert the iterator to a list.
3. Use the print() function to print the list.

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list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['bobby', 'hadz', 'com']

my_list = list(zip(list_1, list_2))

# 👇️ [(1, 'bobby'), (2, 'hadz'), (3, 'com')]
print(my_list)

The zip() function iterates over several iterables in parallel and produces tuples with an item from each iterable.

The zip function returns an iterator of tuples.

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list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['bobby', 'hadz', 'com']

zip_obj = zip(list_1, list_2)

# 👇️ <zip object at 0x7fb7621fe080>
print(zip_obj)

This is why we had to use the list() class to convert the zip object to a list.

Copied!
list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['bobby', 'hadz', 'com']

zip_obj = list(zip(list_1, list_2))

# 👇️ [(1, 'bobby'), (2, 'hadz'), (3, 'com')]
print(zip_obj)

You can use the zip() function with as many iterables as necessary.

Copied!
list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['bobby', 'hadz', 'com']
list_3 = ['one', 'two', 'three']

zip_obj = list(zip(list_1, list_2, list_3))

# 👇️ [(1, 'bobby', 'one'), (2, 'hadz', 'two'), (3, 'com', 'three')]
print(zip_obj)

The zip() function returns a zip object of tuples.

# Zip with list output instead of Tuple in Python

To get list output instead of tuple from the zip() function:

1. Use a list comprehension to iterate over the zip object.
2. Use the list() class to convert each tuple to a list.
3. The new list will contain nested lists instead of tuples.

Copied!
list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['a', 'b', 'c']


list_of_lists = [list(tup) for tup in zip(list_1, list_2)]

# 👇️ [[1, 'a'], [2, 'b'], [3, 'c']]
print(list_of_lists)

The zip() function iterates over several iterables in parallel and produces tuples with an item from each iterable.

By default, the zip function returns an iterator of tuples.

Copied!
list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['a', 'b', 'c']

# 👇️ [(1, 'a'), (2, 'b'), (3, 'c')]
print(list(zip(list_1, list_2)))

We used a list comprehension to iterate over the zip object.

On each iteration, we used the list() class to convert the tuple to a list.

Copied!
list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['a', 'b', 'c']


list_of_lists = [list(tup) for tup in zip(list_1, list_2)]

# 👇️ [[1, 'a'], [2, 'b'], [3, 'c']]
print(list_of_lists)

The list class takes an iterable and returns a list object.

Alternatively, you can use the map() function.

# Zip with list output instead of Tuple using map()

This is a two-step process:

1. Use the map() function to pass each tuple in the zip object to the list() class.
2. Use the list() class to convert the map object to a list.

Copied!
list_1 = [1, 2, 3]
list_2 = ['a', 'b', 'c']


list_of_lists = list(map(list, zip(list_1, list_2)))

# 👇️ [[1, 'a'], [2, 'b'], [3, 'c']]
print(list_of_lists)

The map() function takes a function and an iterable as arguments and calls the function with each item of the iterable.

The map() function returns a map object, so we had to use the list() class to convert it to a list.

Which approach you pick is a matter of personal preference. I'd go with using a list comprehension because I find it more explicit and easier to read.

# Additional Resources

You can learn more about the related topics by checking out the following tutorials:

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