Python's built-in float type has double precision (it's a C double in CPython, a Java double in Jython). If you need more precision, get NumPy and use its numpy.float128.

Answer from Fred Foo on Stack Overflow
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Codefinity
codefinity.com › blog › Float-vs-Double
Float vs Double
Python does not have a separate float and double type distinction. It uses double precision floating-point numbers for all decimal values. Here's how you define a floating point number in Python: my_float = 3.14 # Python uses 64-bit IEEE 754 ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › float vs. double – what's the key difference?"
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: float vs. double – What's the Key Difference?"
November 2, 2024 - In languages that have both float and double, that's what they mean. But then you'll have languages like python, which only have a float type and no double type, and Python's floats are actually double-precision.
Discussions

types - Double precision floating values in Python? - Stack Overflow
Generally "Double precision floating values in Python?" → "float-s are double precision" 2017-06-13T10:00:27.16Z+00:00 ... For some applications you can use Fraction instead of floating-point numbers. >>> from fractions import Fraction >>> Fraction(1, 3**54) Fraction(1, 58149737003040059690390169) (For other applications, there's decimal, as suggested out by the other responses.) ... how do I choose between Decimal and ... More on stackoverflow.com
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Difference between Float and Double Data types? - Python - Digi Technical Support Forums
Apart from memory size of Float and Double data types, I want to know any other differences and also want to know when we use float and when we use double Data type? More on forums.digi.com
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0
February 23, 2021
types - Python: Float or Double - Stack Overflow
I need to pack numbers in Python using the struct module. I want to check if a number is float or double, when I pack it. How can I do that? Is there any built-in functions, or I need to write one?... More on stackoverflow.com
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Floating-point numbers
The result of 12+12.23 is 35.120000000000005 The result of 23+12.23 is 35.230000000000004 And the result of 1.2-1 is 0.19999999999999996 But in C++ the results are true. Why?What is the difference between C++ and Python at floating-point numbers Note: The result of 0.1+0.1 is 0.2 It is true.But ... More on discuss.python.org
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December 17, 2022
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › dsa › difference-between-float-and-double
Difference between Float and Double - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Float is a 32-bit type with single-precision, while double is a 64-bit type with double-precision. Float uses less memory but offers less precision, while double uses more memory but provides higher precision.
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Medium
learningdaily.dev › float-vs-double-whats-the-difference-1110a6bfac22
Float vs. double: What’s the difference? | by The Educative Team | Dev Learning Daily
May 21, 2026 - A float is a 64-bit floating-point number, and a double is not a separate data type. Looking at the outputs of all tabs, we can see that the value of π is different due to the difference in the precision of float and double.
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Unstop
unstop.com › home › blog › 10+ difference between float and double explained (+examples)
10+ Difference Between Float And Double Explained (+Examples)
December 3, 2024 - Mixing types may also introduce implicit type casting, potentially affecting performance and accuracy. No. Python’s float is equivalent to a double in C, offering double precision by default.
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Wikitechy
wikitechy.com › float-and-double-in-programming
🧮 Float and Double in Programming: Meaning, Size, Range, and Key Differences in 2025 - Wikitechy
September 25, 2025 - Python’s default float (64-bit double) works fine. In deep learning (TensorFlow, PyTorch), float32 is preferred for GPU optimization. ... Floats often win here—memory is limited, and sensors don’t need 15 decimal places. ... Speed and memory → go with float. Accuracy and precision → go with double. ... 👉 Developer insight: Don’t memorize this table for interviews—understand the trade-off between speed vs.
Find elsewhere
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Quora
quora.com › What-exactly-is-the-difference-between-decimals-floating-point-numbers-and-doubles-in-Python-programming-They-seem-to-get-addressed-interchangeably
What exactly is the difference between decimals, floating-point numbers and doubles in Python programming? They seem to get addressed interchangeably. - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): There is no such thing as doubles in Python itself, but Internally a floating point value is stored in a double precision C floating point value (as defined by IEEE 754 [1]) Floating point values are limited precision - they use a fixed number of bits to store a wide range of va...
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Glarity
askai.glarity.app › search › What-is-the-difference-between-float-and-double-in-Python
What is the difference between float and double in Python? - Ask and Answer - Glarity
- In summary, while Python does not have a separate `double` type, its `float` type serves the purpose of double-precision floating-point representation, offering high precision and a broader range for numerical computations.
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Educative
educative.io › answers › what-is-the-difference-between-float-and-double
What is the difference between float and double?
Float and double are both widely used data types in programming that have the ability to store decimal or floating-point​ numbers. The only difference between them is the precision.
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tutorialpedia
tutorialpedia.org › blog › what-is-the-difference-between-float-and-double
Float vs Double: Key Differences Explained, When They're Interchangeable & When to Use Each — tutorialpedia.org
Memory and performance are not constraints: If your dataset is small (e.g., a few hundred values) and your CPU has ample memory, double’s extra precision won’t hurt, and float won’t save meaningful resources. The language abstracts the difference: In Python or JavaScript, all decimals are double-precision, so you don’t need to choose.
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Appdividend
appdividend.com › python-double
Double (Float) Data Type in Python
December 13, 2025 - The maximum value of a floating-point number is approximately 1.7976931348623157e+308. In a general programming sense, A float (single precision) is 32 bits, and a double (double precision) is 64 bits.
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Hackr
hackr.io › home › articles › programming
Float vs Double Data Types: What's The Difference [Updated]
January 30, 2025 - It only has one floating-point type, float, implemented as double precision (64bit) in C. This simplification means you don't usually need to choose between single and double precision, which is why dealing with numbers is so easy on a Python course.
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Digi
forums.digi.com › python
Difference between Float and Double Data types? - Python - Digi Technical Support Forums
February 23, 2021 - Apart from memory size of Float and Double data types, I want to know any other differences and also want to know when we use float and when we use double Data type?
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › [deleted by user]
[deleted by user] : r/learnpython
May 2, 2022 - All platforms represent Python float values as 64-bit “double-precision” values, according to the IEEE 754 standard.
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W3Schools
w3schools.in › difference-float-double-data-types
Difference Between Float and Double Data Types - W3Schools
Though Float and Double both of them are used for assigning real (or decimal) values in programming there is a major difference between these two data types.
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Python.org
discuss.python.org › python help
Floating-point numbers - Python Help - Discussions on Python.org
December 17, 2022 - The result of 12+12.23 is 35.120000000000005 The result of 23+12.23 is 35.230000000000004 And the result of 1.2-1 is 0.19999999999999996 But in C++ the results are true. Why?What is the difference between C++ and Python at floating-point numbers Note: The result of 0.1+0.1 is 0.2 It is true.But the result of 1.2-1 is false
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FavTutor
favtutor.com › blogs › convert-string-to-double-python
Convert String to Double in Python (3 Easy Methods)
October 27, 2022 - Python does not have an in-built double data type (int, string, and float are in-built data types). But it includes float data type, which represents a floating-point value (but here with more precision).
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TutorialsPoint
tutorialspoint.com › article › difference-between-float-and-double
Difference Between Float and Double
It has a double precision. It takes 8 bytes of memory. According to IEEE, it has 64-bit precision. Its value can be between 2.3E-308 to 1.7E+308.