lstrip(), rstrip(), and strip()

What you'll learn

Topic	Focus
lstrip()	Remove from the left
rstrip()	Remove from the right
strip()	Remove both sides
Space cleanup	Use split() + join()

Visual roadmap

All three methods remove characters from the edges, not the middle.

Easy memory: L = Left · R = Right · Strip = Both

1. lstrip() → Left strip

Removes whitespace (or characters) from the beginning of the string.

s = "    Python"

print(repr(s))
# '    Python'

s = s.lstrip()

print(repr(s))
# 'Python'

Character count:

	Before	After
Length	10 characters	6 characters

2. rstrip() → Right strip

Removes whitespace from the end of the string.

s = "Python   "

s = s.rstrip()

print(repr(s))
# 'Python'

Memory: R = Right = End

3. strip() → Both sides

Removes characters from both the beginning and end.

s = "   Python    "

s = s.strip()

print(repr(s))
# 'Python'

Memory formula:

lstrip() vs rstrip() vs strip()

Method	Removes	Visual
lstrip()	Left only	[spaces]Python
rstrip()	Right only	Python[spaces]
strip()	Both sides	[spaces]Python[spaces]

4. Remove custom characters

strip() is not limited to spaces. You can remove any character from the edges.

s = "++++++++PYTHON+++++++"

print(s.strip("+"))
# PYTHON

Another example:

s = "###Hello###"

print(s.strip("#"))
# Hello

Important: It removes characters only from the edges, not the middle.

5. Cleaning messy spaces

strip() removes outer spaces, but middle spaces remain.

s = "Nirkar   Behra    "

s = s.strip()

print(repr(s))
# 'Nirkar   Behra'

clean = " ".join(s.split())

print(clean)
# Nirkar Behra

How it works:

Playground example

s = "   Python    "

print(repr(s), len(s))

print(repr(s.strip()), len(s.strip()))

name = "Nirkar   Behra    "

print(" ".join(name.split()))

Expected output:

'   Python    ' 13
'Python' 6
Nirkar Behra

Use the lesson playground at the bottom of the page to run this code live.

Quick knowledge check

1. Which method removes spaces only from the right?
   Answer: rstrip()

2. Does strip() remove spaces in the middle?
   Answer: No. It only removes leading and trailing characters.

3. How do you convert "a b c" into "a b c"?
   Answer:

" ".join(s.split())

30-second revision sheet

Method	Easy memory
lstrip()	Remove from left
rstrip()	Remove from right
strip()	Remove both sides
split() + join()	Clean middle spaces

Interview shortcut: Left → lstrip() · Right → rstrip() · Both → strip() · Middle spaces → split() + join()

Next: Split and Join.