This short article teaches you 3 ways of reversing a Python list.

Here are 3 simple ways in which you can reverse a Python 🐍 list:

>>> lst = [42, 73, 0]
>>> rev1 = reversed(lst)
>>> rev2 = lst[::-1]
>>> lst.reverse()

Let's see how they are different.

Built-in reversed

The built-in reversed accepts a sequence and returns an object that knows how to iterate over that sequence in reverse order. Hence, reversed. Notice it doesn't return a list:

>>> reversed(lst)
<list_reverseiterator object at 0x00000241D77BD520>

The list_reverseiterator object that is returned is “linked” to the original list... So, if you change the original list, the reverse iterator will notice:

>>> lst = [42, 73, 0]
>>> rev = reversed(lst)
>>> lst[1] = 999999  # Change something in the original list.

>>> for n in rev:  # Go over the reverse iterator.
...     print(n)
...
0
999999  # This was changed as well.
42

Slicing with [::-1]

The slicing syntax with brackets [] and colons : accepts a “step” that can be negative. If the “start” and “stop” are omitted and the “step” is -1, we get a copy in the reverse order:

>>> lst = [42, 73, 0]
>>> lst[::-1]
[0, 73, 42]

Slices in Python 🐍 are regular objects, so you can also name them. Thus, you could go as far as creating a named slice to reverse lists, and then use it:

>>> lst
[42, 73, 0]

>>> reverse = slice(None, None, -1)
>>> lst[reverse]
[0, 73, 42]

Notice that slices are not “linked” to the original list. That's because slicing creates a copy of the list. So, if you change the elements in a given index, the reversed list will not notice:

>>> lst = [42, 73, 0]  # Original list.
>>> rev = lst[::-1]    # Reverse copy.
>>> lst[1] = 999999    # Change something in the original.
>>> rev                # The copy didn't notice.
[0, 73, 42]

Slicing is very powerful and useful, and that is why I wrote a whole chapter of my free book “Pydon'ts” on the subject.

List method .reverse

Lists have a method .reverse that reverses the list in place. What this means is that you do not get a return value with the reversed list... Instead, the list itself gets flipped around 🙃

>>> lst = [42, 73, 0]
>>> lst.reverse()
>>> lst
[0, 73, 42]

Summary

Here is a quick summary:

Reverse a Python list with:

1. the built-in reversed that will notice changes to the original list;
2. slicing [::-1] that creates a copy of the original list; and
3. the method .reverse that reverses a list in place.

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