tuple()

tuple([iterable])

The tuple() function creates an immutable, ordered sequence from an iterable. Tuples are similar to lists but cannot be modified after creation, making them useful for fixed collections of items and as dictionary keys.

Syntax

tuple()
tuple(iterable)

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
iterable	iterable	—	Any iterable (list, string, dict, set, range, etc.). If omitted, returns an empty tuple.

Examples

Basic usage

# From a list
numbers = tuple([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
print(numbers)
# (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

# From a string
letters = tuple("hello")
print(letters)
# ('h', 'e', 'l', 'l', 'o')

# From a range
ranges = tuple(range(5))
print(ranges)
# (0, 1, 2, 3, 4)

Empty tuple

empty = tuple()
print(empty)
# ()

# This is different from tuple literal
empty_list = []
empty_tuple = tuple(empty_list)
print(empty_tuple)
# ()

From a dictionary (only keys)

data = {"a": 1, "b": 2, "c": 3}
keys = tuple(data)
print(keys)
# ('a', 'b', 'c')

Common Patterns

Converting to tuple for immutability

# Lists are mutable - can be changed
my_list = [1, 2, 3]
my_list.append(4)

# Tuples are immutable - safer for fixed data
my_tuple = tuple([1, 2, 3])
# my_tuple.append(4)  # AttributeError!

# Use tuple unpacking
x, y, z = (10, 20, 30)
print(x, y, z)  # 10 20 30

Tuple as dictionary key

# Lists cannot be dict keys (unhashable)
# location = {["nyc"]: "USA"}  # TypeError!

# Tuples can - useful for composite keys
location = {("nyc", "US"): "USA", ("lon", "UK"): "UK"}
print(location[("nyc", "US")])
# USA

Returning multiple values from functions

def divide(a, b):
    quotient = a // b
    remainder = a % b
    return (quotient, remainder)  # Returns a tuple

result = divide(17, 5)
print(result)  # (3, 2)
print(type(result))  # <class 'tuple'>

Tuple vs List

Feature	tuple	list
Mutable	No	Yes
Hashable (dict key)	Yes	No
Memory	Less	More
Iteration	Faster	Slower

See Also

• list() — convert to mutable list
• set() — convert to unordered unique elements
• frozenset() — immutable set