range() and xrange() take a third parameter that specifies a step. So you can do the following.
range(10, 0, -1)
Which gives
[10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]
But for iteration, you should really be using xrange instead. So,
xrange(10, 0, -1)
Answer from Chinmay Kanchi on Stack OverflowNote for Python 3 users: There are no separate
rangeandxrangefunctions in Python 3, there is justrange, which follows the design of Python 2'sxrange.
Top answer 1 of 5
481
range() and xrange() take a third parameter that specifies a step. So you can do the following.
range(10, 0, -1)
Which gives
[10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1]
But for iteration, you should really be using xrange instead. So,
xrange(10, 0, -1)
Note for Python 3 users: There are no separate
rangeandxrangefunctions in Python 3, there is justrange, which follows the design of Python 2'sxrange.
2 of 5
279
for x in reversed(whatever):
do_something()
This works on basically everything that has a defined order, including xrange objects and lists.
Top answer 1 of 16
1825
Use the built-in reversed() function:
>>> a = ["foo", "bar", "baz"]
>>> for i in reversed(a):
... print(i)
...
baz
bar
foo
To also access the original index, use enumerate() on your list before passing it to reversed():
>>> for i, e in reversed(list(enumerate(a))):
... print(i, e)
...
2 baz
1 bar
0 foo
Since enumerate() returns a generator and generators can't be reversed, you need to convert it to a list first.
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268
You can do:
for item in my_list[::-1]:
print item
(Or whatever you want to do in the for loop.)
The [::-1] slice reverses the list in the for loop (but won't actually modify your list "permanently").
Reversing a range using a FOR LOOP
You should show what you've tried so far. It's easier to give productive help if we base the help on code you've written. It doesn't require a for-loop though. You can use one, but it would be far more straightforward with a while. Be careful of artificially limiting what tools you consider. More on reddit.com
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December 24, 2022How do I use reverse list in Python to loop through a list backwards? - Ask a Question - TestMu AI Community
I want to iterate over a list in reverse order using Python. What’s the most efficient or Pythonic way to handle a python reverse list scenario, especially when looping? Are there any differences between using reversed() and slicing like my_list[::-1]? Would love a quick example! More on community.testmuai.com
0
July 2, 2025Why isn't my loop iterating backwards in python?
Hint: Look up documentation on the ‘range’ function…does it actually do what you think it does given the two arguments you provided? Maybe you’re missing an argument? https://docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#range More on reddit.com
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March 8, 2023iterate over a string in reverse
https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#reversed More on reddit.com
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February 7, 2023Videos
08:02
for Loop - Reversing a Range of Numbers - YouTube
02:57
Using reversed to loop in reverse in Python - YouTube
Python Tutorial : Reverse a String Using For Loop
01:35
Loop Over A List In Reverse | Python Example - YouTube
03:00
02.1 Reverse looping array in python - Python List Exercises Tutorial ...
05:06
For loops in Python are easy 🔁 - YouTube
Spark By {Examples}
sparkbyexamples.com › home › python › python for loop in backwards
Python For Loop in Backwards - Spark By {Examples}
May 31, 2024 - # Get the index and items of list in backward direction. list1=[10, 20, 50, 30, 40, 80, 60] print("Get the loop in backwards") for i, item in reversed(list(enumerate(list1))): print(i, item) # Output: # Get the loop in backwards # 6 60 # 5 80 ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › reversing a range using a for loop
r/learnpython on Reddit: Reversing a range using a FOR LOOP
December 24, 2022 -
I'm doing self-study program in Python and I'm being challenged to create a function that act exactly like the RANGE function, but it reverse the range. Let's call it reverserange().
reverserange(0,5) will return tuple (4, 3, 2, 1, 0)
I can't for the life of me figure it out. I've been trying for a couple hours. I know it requires a for loop...
Can anyone assist?
Top answer 1 of 5
3
You should show what you've tried so far. It's easier to give productive help if we base the help on code you've written. It doesn't require a for-loop though. You can use one, but it would be far more straightforward with a while. Be careful of artificially limiting what tools you consider.
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reverse = () for x in range(a,b): b = b-1 reverse = (x,) + reverse Here is a good way to solve this, I believe I'm also doing the same course.
Codecademy
codecademy.com › article › how-to-reverse-a-list-in-python
How to Reverse a List in Python | Codecademy
Yes! You can use slicing ([::-1]), reversed(), a for loop, or recursion to reverse a list without using .reverse(). No, slicing creates a new list. The original list remains unchanged.
Real Python
realpython.com › python-reverse-list
Reverse Python Lists: Beyond .reverse() and reversed() – Real Python
June 28, 2023 - For example, to reverse the list represented in the diagram, you can loop over the first half of the list and swap the element at index 0 with its mirror at index -1 in the first iteration.
Stack Abuse
stackabuse.com › bytes › traversing-a-list-in-reverse-order-in-python
Traversing a List in Reverse Order in Python
August 30, 2023 - Python has a built-in function called reversed() that returns a reverse iterator. An iterator is an object that contains a countable number of values and can be iterated (looped) upon. Here's a quick example: my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] for i in reversed(my_list): print(i)
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › backward-iteration-in-python
Backward iteration in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 11, 2025 - ... a = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] #Loop through the List # reverse order using slicing(::-1) for item in a[::-1]: print(item) # same logic written using List comprehension # [print(item) for item in a[::-1]]
LearnPython.com
learnpython.com › blog › reverse-range-in-python
How to Reverse a Range in Python | LearnPython.com
September 7, 2022 - For example, provided a number n, range() produces integers from 0 up to n-1. In the example above, we passed 5 to the range() function, so the last number printed was 4 (since 5 - 1 = 4). Sometimes, you may not care about the numbers in the range.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › python-reversing-list
Reversing a List in Python - GeeksforGeeks
However, reversed() returns an iterator, so it needs to be converted back into a list. ... If we want to reverse a list manually, we can use a loop (for loop) to build a new reversed list.
Published November 26, 2025
Delft Stack
delftstack.com › home › howto › python › loop backwards in python
How to Loop Backward Iteration in Python | Delft Stack
March 11, 2025 - So, the next time you need to loop backward, you’ll have the right tools at your disposal. What is backward iteration in Python? Backward iteration in Python refers to the process of traversing a sequence from the last element to the first. Can I use backward iteration with strings in Python? Yes, you can use backward iteration with strings using methods like list slicing or the reversed() function. Is using range() for backward iteration memory efficient?
TestMu AI Community
community.testmuai.com › ask a question
How do I use reverse list in Python to loop through a list backwards? - Ask a Question - TestMu AI Community
July 2, 2025 - I want to iterate over a list in reverse order using Python. What’s the most efficient or Pythonic way to handle a python reverse list scenario, especially when looping? Are there any differences between using reversed…
Mimo
mimo.org › glossary › python › for-loop
Python For Loop: Syntax and Examples [Python Tutorial]
In this example, the loop iterates over the list of numbers with a starting value of 1. Each iteration assigns the current value from the sequence of numbers to number. The function call in the code block prints each number in the list. range() is a built-in function that creates a list of numbers starting at 0 and stopping before a specified integer. This makes the range function ideal for creating Python for loops with index variables.
JanBask Training
janbasktraining.com › community › python-python › how-do-i-reverse-a-list-or-loop-over-it-backwards
How do I reverse a list or loop over it backwards? | JanBask Training Community
June 4, 2025 - Python offers built-in features that make this process clean and readable. ... The reversed() function returns an iterator that yields the elements of the list in reverse order. my_list = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] for item in reversed(my_list): print(item)
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › why isn't my loop iterating backwards in python?
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: Why isn't my loop iterating backwards in python?
March 8, 2023 -
Basically, I wanted the loop to start from the last index and work that way done. However, I am not getting anything.
listr = [10,20,30,50]
count = 0
for i in range(len(listr),-1):
count +=1
print(listr[i], count)
print('-----') Top answer 1 of 4
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Hint: Look up documentation on the ‘range’ function…does it actually do what you think it does given the two arguments you provided? Maybe you’re missing an argument? https://docs.python.org/3/library/stdtypes.html#range
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range(start, stop, step) if you just give two arguments, the function will interprete it as start and stop.
Python Morsels
pythonmorsels.com › looping-in-reverse
Looping in reverse - Python Morsels
May 27, 2025 - To loop in the reverse direction, you can use Python's built-in reversed function: >>> colors = ["purple", "blue", "green", "pink", "red"] >>> for color in reversed(colors): ... print("I like", color) ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnpython › iterate over a string in reverse
r/learnpython on Reddit: iterate over a string in reverse
February 7, 2023 -
I want to iterate over a string in reverse. I googled it and found this way
for i in range(len(k)-1, 0-1, -1):
but to be honest I don't understand it. can you please explain it to me?
also, I would love it if you guys can suggest other methods
Top answer 1 of 3
6
https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#reversed
2 of 3
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This is not the approach you should take. reversed linked to by u/PaulRudin is a better tool here. But to explain the code; range takes up to 3 arguments. The first is the starting point. The second is the end point (this value will terminate the iteration and not be yielded back. The third is the step size. This is the amount by which the initial value will be modified by, until it reaches the end value. So if I pass in range(1, 5, 1) I will get back the values: 1, 2, 3, 4 If I was use to range(0, 10, 2) I get: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 However, using range(10, 0, -2) gives 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 In this code you are starting from the end of some string (the length less one to get the last index) and taking steps backwards by 1 each iteration. The end point is -1 to include the 0 index (written strangely here, but this is a slightly strange construct anyway).
Medium
medium.com › becoming-a-better-software-developer › undetstanding-python-iterators-reversed-iteration-35f1c1d16196
Undetstanding Python Iterators: Reversed Iteration | by Saleem Latif | Becoming a better Software Developer | Medium
March 8, 2023 - These iterators are: ... The reversed() function on strings returns an iterator that produces the elements of the string in reverse order. >>> for char in reversed("hello"): ... print(char, end="") ... olleh ... >>> numbers = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) ...
Reddit
reddit.com › r/learnprogramming › differences in iteration through a loop in reverse order - python
r/learnprogramming on Reddit: Differences in iteration through a loop in reverse order - Python
August 5, 2021 -
So I'm building a game that requires me to loop through a list in reverse order.
It seems that there are multiple ways to do this same task, but I want to make sure I understand the differences between the alternative ways.
From what I have found online:
I can use list comprehension -
for _ in desired_list[::-1]
I can use reversed() -
for _ in revered(desired_list)
I can use a range() -
for _ in range(len(desired_list) -1, 0, -1)
Is there any functional difference between these?
Also for the range iteration, could you verify what each number stands for?
It seems to be:
range("number to start on", "number to end up", "direction and distance to travel in list")
Is that correct?
Thank you for any help!
Top answer 1 of 2
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You can look up the Official Documentation on range() , to see what it does. The ::-1 notation is Slice Notation , while reversed() just returns an iterator.
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Your almost correct about range… the first number is indeed the start point, and the third is the stride (and yes sign determines direction) but the second number is the exclusive end point. The end will actually end one stride before the end. As for functional differences: slicing (that isn’t actually a comprehension) a list in reverse order creates an entirely new copy of the list, so you’ll be consuming extra memory equal to the size of the iterator being reversed… this overhead may not actually matter to you, but you’ll still be paying the price. The reversed built-in saves you that memory… it’s effectively doing what you’re doing in the range version, then returning an iterator… very little extra memory is used, as all it needs to keep track of is where it is currently in the thing being reversed… however it’s not very flexible if you don’t want to start at the end, end at the start, and always step by 1. The range version gives you all of that back, though it’s not as readable when used for the most common case of just reversing the whole thing.
Spark By {Examples}
sparkbyexamples.com › home › python › reverse a range in python with examples
Reverse a Range in Python with Examples - Spark By {Examples}
May 31, 2024 - This example yields the below output. # Create range of numbers myrange = range(0,5) print("Actual Range: ", myrange) # Get range in reversed order for x in range(5,0,-1): print(x) Yields below output.