A tuple is just like a list — an ordered collection of items — except it cannot be changed after creation. That immutability is the entire point of a tuple.
Creating a Tuple
R Code
point = (4, 7) colours = ("red", "green", "blue") single = (5,) # the trailing comma is required for a one-item tuple print(point) print(type(single))
Output
(4, 7) <class 'tuple'>
⚠ Common Mistake
(5) is just the integer 5 in parentheses, not a tuple - the trailing comma (5,) is what actually makes it a tuple. This one catches almost everyone the first time.Indexing and Slicing Work Just Like Lists
R Code
colours = ("red", "green", "blue") print(colours[0]) print(colours[-1]) print(colours[0:2])
Output
red
blue
('red', 'green')Tuples Are Immutable
R Code
point = (4, 7) point[0] = 10 # this line raises an error
Output
Traceback (most recent call last): ... TypeError: 'tuple' object does not support item assignment
Tuple Unpacking
One of the most useful tuple features: assign each element to its own variable in one line.
R Code
point = (4, 7) x, y = point print(x) print(y) # common pattern: a function returning multiple values as a tuple def min_max(nums): return min(nums), max(nums) low, high = min_max([4, 9, 2, 7]) print(low, high)
Output
4 7 2 9
Advanced: Why Choose a Tuple Over a List?
🚀 Advanced Example
Because tuples are immutable, they are hashable and can be used as dictionary keys - something a list can never do.R Code
distances = {
("NYC", "LA"): 3944,
("NYC", "Chicago"): 1270
}
print(distances[("NYC", "LA")])Output
3944
Key Points
- A tuple is an ordered, immutable collection - once created, it cannot be changed.
- A single-item tuple needs a trailing comma: (5,) not (5).
- Tuple unpacking (x, y = point) is a clean way to assign multiple values at once.
- Because tuples are immutable, they can be used as dictionary keys - lists cannot.