Should I Use Single or Double Quotes for Strings in Python?

Stylistic Choices for Single vs. Double Quotes in Python

While Python documentation suggests interchangeability of single and double quotes for strings, there are stylistic preferences that guide developers.

Double Quotes for Interpolation and Natural Language

When working with strings that require interpolation (replacement with variables) or represent natural language messages, double quotes are often preferred. This is exemplified by the LIGHT_MESSAGES dictionary, which stores language-specific strings for reporting light counts.

Single Quotes for Symbol-Like Strings

For brevity and clarity, single quotes are commonly used to enclose short, symbol-like strings. This helps distinguish them from more verbose strings.

Exceptions and Special Cases

While these preferences are generally followed, there may be exceptions. For instance:

• Quotes within strings: If a string contains a quote of the same type, the other type is necessary to avoid confusion.
• Docstrings and Raw String Literals: Docstrings and raw string literals are typically enclosed in triple double quotes even if unnecessary.

Examples

The following code demonstrates these stylistic choices:

LIGHT_MESSAGES = {
    'English': "There are %(number_of_lights)s lights.",
    'Pirate': "Arr! Thar be %(number_of_lights)s lights."
}

def is_pirate(message):
    """Return True if the given message sounds piratical."""
    return re.search(r"(?i)(arr|avast|yohoho)!", message) is not None

By adhering to these stylistic preferences, code becomes more readable and easier to maintain.

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