SyntaxError: unterminated triple-quoted string literal

SyntaxError: unterminated triple-quoted string literal #

The Python "SyntaxError: unterminated triple-quoted string literal" occurs when we open a triple-quoted string and forget to close it. To solve the error, make sure to close the triple-quoted string.

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

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# ⛔️ SyntaxError: unterminated triple-quoted string literal (detected at line 4)
example = """
  hello
  world

We opened a triple-quoted string but forgot to close it, so the string never ends.

To solve the error, close the triple-quoted string.

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example = """
  hello
  world
""" # 👈️ close string

#
# hello
# world
#
print(example)

The triple-quoted string in the example above uses double quotes, but you can also define one using single quotes.

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example = '''
  hello
  world
'''

#
# hello
# world
#
print(example)

Triple-quotes strings are very similar to basic strings that we declare using single or double quotes.

But they also enable us to:

• use single and double quotes in the same string without escaping
• define a multiline string without adding newline characters

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example = '''
  It's Alice
  "hello"
'''

#
# It's Alice
# "hello"
#
print(example)

The string in the example above uses both single and double quotes and doesn't have to escape anything.

If you only have to use a single quote in the string, it would be easier to just wrap the string using double quotes.

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example = "It's Alice"

# 👉️ "It's Alice"
print(example)

Conversely, if your string contains double quotes, just wrap it in single quotes to not have to escape anything.

Conclusion #

The Python "SyntaxError: unterminated triple-quoted string literal" occurs when we open a triple-quoted string and forget to close it. To solve the error, make sure to close the triple-quoted string.