10 Python Tricks Every Developer Should Know in 2025

Python is known for its simplicity — but under the hood, it’s full of clever features that can make your code cleaner, faster, and more “Pythonic.” Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced developer, here are 10 practical Python tricks that will instantly improve how you write and think in Python.

1. Swap Two Variables Without a Temporary Variable

Forget using a third variable to swap values. Python can do it in one line:

a, b = b, a

Simple, readable, and efficient.

2. Use List Comprehensions Instead of Loops

List comprehensions make your code shorter and faster.

squares = [x**2 for x in range(1, 6)]

Equivalent to writing a for-loop — but more elegant.

Bonus: Add conditions easily:

even_squares = [x**2 for x in range(1, 11) if x % 2 == 0]

3. Use zip() to Combine Lists

zip() lets you combine multiple lists easily.

names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
scores = [85, 90, 88]

for name, score in zip(names, scores):
    print(f"{name}: {score}")

Output:

Alice: 85
Bob: 90
Charlie: 88

4. Multiple Variable Assignment in One Line

You can assign multiple variables in a single statement:

x, y, z = 10, 20, 30

Useful for clean initialization or unpacking data from lists or tuples.

5. Use enumerate() Instead of Range

Instead of using range(len(list)), use enumerate() for cleaner loops.

languages = ["Python", "Java", "C++"]

for index, lang in enumerate(languages, start=1):
    print(index, lang)

Output:

1 Python
2 Java
3 C++

6. Merge Dictionaries Easily (Python 3.9+)

In Python 3.9 and later, merging two dictionaries is as simple as:

dict1 = {'a': 1, 'b': 2}
dict2 = {'b': 3, 'c': 4}
merged = dict1 | dict2
print(merged)

Output:

{'a': 1, 'b': 3, 'c': 4}

7. Use _ (underscore) for Throwaway Variables

When looping or unpacking values you don’t need, use _:

for _ in range(5):
    print("Hello!")

Or when unpacking:

a, _, b = (1, 2, 3)

8. One-Line Conditional Expressions

Use ternary operators for simple conditions:

status = "Adult" if age >= 18 else "Minor"

Makes your code concise and readable.

9. Unpack Iterables Smartly

Python lets you unpack parts of a list using *:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
first, *middle, last = numbers
print(first, middle, last)

Output:

1 [2, 3, 4] 5

10. Use collections.Counter to Count Items

Instead of writing your own frequency loops:

from collections import Counter

words = ["python", "ai", "python", "ml", "ai"]
count = Counter(words)
print(count)

Output:

Counter({'python': 2, 'ai': 2, 'ml': 1})

Bonus Trick: Pretty Print JSON

If you’re dealing with JSON data, this makes it easy to read:

import json

data = {"name": "Sachin", "language": "Python"}
print(json.dumps(data, indent=4))

Conclusion

These Python tricks aren’t just shortcuts — they make your code more efficient, elegant, and easier to maintain. Try adding one or two of these into your next project, and you’ll quickly start writing more “Pythonic” code.