TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -: tuple and int

TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -: tuple and int #

The Python "TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -: 'tuple' and 'int'" occurs when we try to use the subtraction operator with a tuple and a number. To solve the error, figure out how the variable got assigned a tuple and correct the assignment, or access a specific value in the tuple.

Here is an example of how the error occurs.

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my_tuple = 15, 30, 45

my_int = 5

# ⛔️ TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -: 'tuple' and 'int'
result = my_tuple - my_int

We are trying to use the subtraction operator with a tuple and a number.

If you declared a tuple by mistake, tuples are constructed in the following ways:

• Using a pair of parentheses () creates an empty tuple
• Using a trailing comma - a, or (a,)
• Separating items with commas - a, b or (a, b)
• Using the tuple() constructor

If you need to iterate over the tuple and subtract from each number, use a for loop.

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my_tuple = 15, 30, 45

my_int = 5

for num in my_tuple:
    result = num - my_int
    print(result)  # 👉️ 10, 25, 40

If you need to use the subtraction operator on an item in the tuple, access the item at its specific index.

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my_tuple = 15, 30, 45

my_int = 5

result = my_tuple[0] - my_int

print(result)  # 👉️ 10

We accessed the tuple element at index 0 and subtracted 5 from it.

If you need to get the sum of the tuple, use the sum() function.

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my_tuple = 15, 30, 45

my_int = 5

# result = my_tuple[0] - my_int

result = sum(my_tuple) - my_int
print(result)  # 👉️ 85

print(sum(my_tuple))  # 👉️ 90

The sum function takes an iterable, sums its items from left to right and returns the total.

The sum function takes the following 2 arguments:

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

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my_tuple = (15, 30, 45)
print(type(my_tuple))  # 👉️ <class 'tuple'>
print(isinstance(my_tuple, tuple))  # 👉️ True

my_int = 5
print(type(my_int))  # 👉️ <class 'int'>
print(isinstance(my_int, int))  # 👉️ 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.

Conclusion #

The Python "TypeError: unsupported operand type(s) for -: 'tuple' and 'int'" occurs when we try to use the subtraction operator with a tuple and a number. To solve the error, figure out how the variable got assigned a tuple and correct the assignment, or access a specific value in the tuple.