TypeError: can only concatenate list (not "float") to list

TypeError: can only concatenate list (not "float") to list #

The Python "TypeError: can only concatenate list (not "float") to list" occurs when we try to concatenate a list and a floating-point number. To solve the error, use the append() method to add an item to the list, e.g. my_list.append(3.3).

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

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my_list = [1.1, 2.2]

my_float = 3.3

# ⛔️ TypeError: can only concatenate list (not "float") to list
result = my_list + my_float

We tried to use the addition (+) operator to add an item to a list which caused the error.

You can use the append() method to add an item to a list.

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my_list = [1.1, 2.2]

my_float = 3.3

my_list.append(my_float)

print(my_list)  # 👉️ [1.1, 2.2, 3.3]

The list.append() method adds an item to the end of the list.

The method returns None as it mutates the original list.

Alternatively, you can wrap the float in a list if you'd prefer to use the addition (+) operator.

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my_list = [1.1, 2.2]

my_float = 3.3

result = my_list + [my_float]

print(result)  # 👉️ [1.1, 2.2, 3.3]

However, using the append() method is much more common.

Conversely, if you need to remove an item from a list, use the remove() method.

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my_list = [1.1, 2.2]

my_float = 2.2

my_list.remove(my_float)

print(my_list)  # 👉️ [1.1]

The list.remove() method removes the first item from the list whose value is equal to the passed in argument.

The method raises a ValueError if there is no such item.

The remove() method mutates the original list and returns None.

If you meant to add a specific item in the list to a float, access the item at its index using square brackets.

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my_list = [1.1, 2.2]

my_float = 3.3

result = my_list[0] + my_float

print(result)  # 👉️ 4.4

We accessed the list item at index 0 and added it to the float stored in the my_float variable.

If you aren't sure what type of object a variable stores, use the built-in type() class.

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my_list = [1.1, 2.2]
print(type(my_list))  # 👉️ <class 'list'>
print(isinstance(my_list, list))  # 👉️ True


my_float = 3.3
print(type(my_float))  # 👉️ <class 'float'>
print(isinstance(my_float, float))  # 👉️ True

The type class returns the type of an object.

The isinstance function returns True if the passed in object is an instance or a subclass of the passed in class.