--- description: Python count The count() is a built-in function in Python. It will return the total count of a given element in a list. The count() function is used to count elements on a list as well as a string. In title: Python List count() with EXAMPLES image: https://www.guru99.com/images/python-list-count.png --- [Skip to content](#main) **⚡ Smart Summary** The Python count() method returns how many times a given element appears in a list or string. Here you will learn its syntax, see examples on lists and strings, and count all elements at once with Counter. * 🔢 **What it does:** count() returns how many times an element appears in a list. * 📝 **Syntax:** list.count(element) takes the element to count as its argument. * 🚫 **Not found:** count() returns 0 when the element is not in the list. * 🔤 **Strings too:** count() also counts characters or substrings in a string. * 🤖 **AI help:** AI tools like Copilot generate counting code instantly. [ Read More ](javascript:void%280%29;) ![Python List Count](https://www.guru99.com/images/python-list-count.png) ## Python count The count() is a built-in function in Python. It will return the total count of a given element in a list. The count() function is used to count elements on a list as well as a string. ## Python List count() The count() is a built-in function in [Pyhton](https://www.guru99.com/python-tutorials.html). It will return you the count of a given element in the list. ### Syntax list.count(element) ### Parameters **element**: The element you want to find the count. ### ReturnValue The count() method will return an integer value, i.e., the count of the given element from the given list. It returns a 0 if the value is not found in the given list. ## Example 1: List Count Following example shows the working of count() function on a list: list1 = ['red', 'green', 'blue', 'orange', 'green', 'gray', 'green'] color_count = list1.count('green') print('The count of color: green is ', color_count) **Output:** The count of color: green is 3 ## Example 2: Find the count of elements (Duplicates) in a givenlist list1 = [2,3,4,3,10,3,5,6,3] elm_count = list1.count(3) print('The count of element: 3 is ', elm_count) **Output:** The count of element: 3 is 4 ## Count Characters in a String The count() method also works on strings, returning how many times a character or substring appears. message = "hello world" print(message.count("l")) print(message.count("o")) **Output:** 3 2 ### RELATED ARTICLES * [Python Conditional Statements: IF…Else, ELIF & Switch Case ](https://www.guru99.com/if-loop-python-conditional-structures.html "Python Conditional Statements: IF…Else, ELIF & Switch Case") * [Django Tutorial: Features, Architecture & History ](https://www.guru99.com/django-tutorial.html "Django Tutorial: Features, Architecture & History") * [Python vs JavaScript: Key Difference Between Them ](https://www.guru99.com/python-vs-javascript.html "Python vs JavaScript: Key Difference Between Them") * [How to Run Python Scripts: Step by Step Guide ](https://www.guru99.com/run-python-scripts.html "How to Run Python Scripts: Step by Step Guide") ## Count All Elements Using Counter To count every element at once instead of one at a time, use Counter from the collections module. from collections import Counter list1 = ["red", "green", "blue", "green", "red", "green"] print(Counter(list1)) **Output:** Counter({'green': 3, 'red': 2, 'blue': 1}) This code is editable. Click Run to Execute ## FAQs 🔢 What does the count() method do in Python? count() returns the number of times a given element appears in a list. list.count(element) takes the element as its argument and returns an integer. 🚫 What does count() return if the element is missing? count() returns 0 when the element is not present in the list. It never raises an error for a missing value. 🔤 Can you use count() on a string? Yes. string.count(substring) returns how many times a character or substring appears in a string, working the same way as it does on a list. 🔁 How do you count all elements in a list at once? Use collections.Counter, which returns a dictionary of each element and its count in one call, instead of calling count() for every element. 🆚 What is the difference between count() and Counter? count() counts one element at a time, while collections.Counter counts every element in a single pass, which is faster when you need all counts. 🤖 How can AI tools like GitHub Copilot help count list items? AI assistants like GitHub Copilot autocomplete count() and Counter calls, and generate loops or comprehensions that tally elements from a short description. 🧠 Can AI automate counting logic in Python? Yes. AI-powered tools can automate writing counting and frequency code, suggest Counter over manual loops, and refactor slow tallies into efficient one-liners. 🔡 Is count() case-sensitive for strings? Yes. count() treats uppercase and lowercase as different, so ‘A’ and ‘a’ are counted separately. Convert the text with lower() first for case-insensitive counts. #### Summarize this post with: ChatGPT Perplexity Grok Google AI **Stay Updated on AI** **Get Weekly AI Skills, Trends, Actionable Advice.** ##### Sign up for the newsletter Subscribe for Free You have successfully subscribed. Please check your inbox. ![AI-Newsletter]() Chosen by over **350,000+** professionals [Scroll to top ](#wrapper)Scroll to top × Toggle Menu Close Search for: Search ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#organization","name":"Guru99","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/Guru99Official","https://twitter.com/guru99com"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#logo","url":"https://www.guru99.com/images/guru99-logo-v1-150x59.png","contentUrl":"https://www.guru99.com/images/guru99-logo-v1-150x59.png","caption":"Guru99","inLanguage":"en-US"}},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#website","url":"https://www.guru99.com","name":"Guru99","publisher":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/images/python-list-count.png","url":"https://www.guru99.com/images/python-list-count.png","width":"700","height":"250","caption":"Python List count()","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":"1","item":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":"2","item":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python","name":"Python"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":"3","item":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html","name":"Python List count() with EXAMPLES"}}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html#webpage","url":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html","name":"Python List count() with EXAMPLES","dateModified":"2026-07-11T10:43:15+05:30","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/images/python-list-count.png"},"inLanguage":"en-US","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html#breadcrumb"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/author/anna","name":"Anna Blake","description":"I'm Anna Blake, specializing in Python tutorials, offering clear and concise lessons to help you master Python programming efficiently.","url":"https://www.guru99.com/author/anna","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://www.guru99.com/images/anna-blake-author.png","url":"https://www.guru99.com/images/anna-blake-author.png","caption":"Anna Blake","inLanguage":"en-US"},"worksFor":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#organization"}},{"articleSection":"Python","headline":"Python List count() with EXAMPLES","description":"Python count The count() is a built-in function in Python. It will return the total count of a given element in a list. The count() function is used to count elements on a list as well as a string. In","keywords":"python","speakable":{"@type":"SpeakableSpecification","cssSelector":[".entry-title",".summary"]},"@type":"Article","author":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/author/anna","name":"Anna Blake"},"dateModified":"2026-07-11T10:43:15+05:30","image":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/images/python-list-count.png"},"copyrightYear":"2026","name":"Python List count() with EXAMPLES","subjectOf":[{"@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"What does the count() method do in Python?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"count() returns the number of times a given element appears in a list. list.count(element) takes the element as its argument and returns an integer."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What does count() return if the element is missing?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"count() returns 0 when the element is not present in the list. It never raises an error for a missing value."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can you use count() on a string?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. string.count(substring) returns how many times a character or substring appears in a string, working the same way as it does on a list."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do you count all elements in a list at once?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Use collections.Counter, which returns a dictionary of each element and its count in one call, instead of calling count() for every element."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What is the difference between count() and Counter?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"count() counts one element at a time, while collections.Counter counts every element in a single pass, which is faster when you need all counts."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How can AI tools like GitHub Copilot help count list items?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"AI assistants like GitHub Copilot autocomplete count() and Counter calls, and generate loops or comprehensions that tally elements from a short description."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Can AI automate counting logic in Python?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. AI-powered tools can automate writing counting and frequency code, suggest Counter over manual loops, and refactor slow tallies into efficient one-liners."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Is count() case-sensitive for strings?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. count() treats uppercase and lowercase as different, so 'A' and 'a' are counted separately. Convert the text with lower() first for case-insensitive counts."}}]}],"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html#schema-1140609","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html#webpage"},"publisher":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/#organization"},"inLanguage":"en-US","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.guru99.com/python-list-count.html#webpage"}}]} ```