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12 Python Built-in Functions I Wish I Knew Earlier!

Discover 12 built-in functions that can make your coding life easier and more efficient.

Aashish Kumar
The Pythoneers
Published in
4 min readMar 10, 2025
Photo by Eduard Delputte on Unsplash

Python is packed with powerful built-in functions that can save time, reduce code complexity, and improve performance.

Many of these functions remain under-utilized, especially by beginners who often reinvent the wheel without realizing that Python already provides efficient solutions.

Here are 12 built-in Python functions that I wish I had discovered earlier in my journey!

1. enumerate() — Keep Track of Indexes

Instead of using a counter variable while looping through a list, enumerate() lets you iterate with both the index and value:

fruits = ['apple', 'banana', 'cherry']
for index, fruit in enumerate(fruits, start=1):
print(index, fruit)

Output:

1 apple  
2 banana
3 cherry

This eliminates the need for manually maintaining an index variable!

2. zip() — Pair Up Data Easily

The Pythoneers
The Pythoneers

Published in The Pythoneers

Your home for innovative tech stories about Python and its limitless possibilities. Discover, learn, and get inspired.

Aashish Kumar
Aashish Kumar

Written by Aashish Kumar

Hi, I’m Aashish Kumar, a passionate software engineer from India 🇮🇳, specialize in Python | Django | AI | LLM | Full Stack Development.

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