Python List Slicing

List Satellite

List Slicing

The slice syntax `[start:stop:step]` lets you grab, replace, and delete segments in one expression.

Memorize slice patternsUse with copy operations

Patterns

Slice	Result
items[:3]	First three elements
items[3:]	Elements from index 3 onward
items[-3:]	Last three elements
items[::2]	Every other element
items[::-1]	Reversed list

Assignment & deletion

items[1:3] = ["replaced"]
del items[:2]

Slicing assignment can change list length; items[:] = [] clears the list while preserving references.

Next up in your learning path

List comprehensions

Combine slicing with expressions.

Companion

Nested lists

Slice rows/columns in 2D data.

Practice

Strings & slicing

Apply the same syntax to strings.

Tip