Python Get First Key in Dictionary

General Discussions
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1

How can I Python get first key in dict? I want to retrieve the first key from a dictionary. For example, given the dictionary:

prices = {
    "banana" : 4,
    "apple" : 2,
    "orange" : 1.5,
    "pear" : 3
}

What is the simplest way to print “banana” from this dictionary?

2

Ah, the simplest way? Use next() with iter() to fetch the first key in a dictionary. This is both clean and efficient. Check it out:

prices = {
    "banana": 4,
    "apple": 2,
    "orange": 1.5,
    "pear": 3
}
first_key = next(iter(prices))
print(first_key)  # Output: 'banana'

This works because iter(prices) gives us an iterator over the dictionary keys, and next() retrieves the first item.

3

Good one! Another easy method to achieve this is by converting the dictionary keys to a list using list(). While slightly less efficient than Mark’s approach, it’s straightforward and readable:

prices = {
    "banana": 4,
    "apple": 2,
    "orange": 1.5,
    "pear": 3
}
first_key = list(prices.keys())[0]
print(first_key)  # Output: 'banana'

This is helpful if you’re already working with lists or need to manipulate the keys further!

4

Nice! If you’re looking for a slightly old-school and intuitive way, a simple for loop will do the trick. It’s a bit verbose but perfectly understandable for beginners:

prices = {
    "banana": 4,
    "apple": 2,
    "orange": 1.5,
    "pear": 3
}
for key in prices:
    first_key = key
    break
print(first_key)  # Output: 'banana'

This approach is especially handy if you want to perform additional checks or operations as you iterate through the dictionary.