Foundations Updated 2026-09 View as Markdown

Dictionaries

A dictionary is a data type similar to arrays, but works with keys and values instead of indexes.

A dictionary is a data type similar to arrays, but works with keys and values instead of indexes. Each value stored in a dictionary can be accessed using a key, which is any type of object (a string, a number, a list, etc.) instead of using its index to address it.

For example, a database of phone numbers could be stored using a dictionary like this:

phonebook = {}
phonebook["John"] = 938477566
phonebook["Jack"] = 938377264
phonebook["Jill"] = 947662781
print(phonebook)

Alternatively, a dictionary can be initialized with the same values in the following notation:

phonebook = {
    "John" : 938477566,
    "Jack" : 938377264,
    "Jill" : 947662781
}
print(phonebook)

Iterating over dictionaries#

Dictionaries can be iterated over, just like a list. However, a dictionary, unlike a list, does not keep the order of the values stored in it. To iterate over key value pairs, use the following syntax:

phonebook = {"John" : 938477566,"Jack" : 938377264,"Jill" : 947662781}
for name, number in phonebook.items():
    print("Phone number of %s is %d" % (name, number))

Removing a value#

To remove a specified index, use either one of the following notations:

phonebook = {
   "John" : 938477566,
   "Jack" : 938377264,
   "Jill" : 947662781
}
del phonebook["John"]
print(phonebook)

or:

phonebook = {
   "John" : 938477566,
   "Jack" : 938377264,
   "Jill" : 947662781
}
phonebook.pop("John")
print(phonebook)

phonebook = {
    "John" : 938477566,
    "Jack" : 938377264,
    "Jill" : 947662781
}

# your code goes here
phonebook["Jake"] = 938273443
del phonebook["Jill"]

# testing code
if "Jake" in phonebook:
    print("Jake is listed in the phonebook.")

if "Jill" not in phonebook:
    print("Jill is not listed in the phonebook.")