.append() appends a single object at the end of the list:

>>> x = [1, 2, 3]
>>> x.append([4, 5])
>>> print(x)
[1, 2, 3, [4, 5]]

.extend() appends multiple objects that are taken from inside the specified iterable:

>>> x = [1, 2, 3]
>>> x.extend([4, 5])
>>> print(x)
[1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Answer from kender on Stack Overflow
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › difference-between-append-extend-and-insert-in-python
Difference between Append, Extend and Insert in Python - GeeksforGeeks
July 23, 2025 - Unlike append(), which adds a single element, extend() adds each element from the iterable to the list. ... # python program to demonstrate # working of extend function # assign list li = ['hello', 'welcome', 'to'] # use method li.extend(['geeks', ...
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Medium
medium.com › @btech.07 › what-is-the-difference-between-append-extend-and-insert-eb3369e9981c
What is the difference between append, extend, and insert | by Techie Ashu | Medium
December 17, 2024 - What is the difference between append, extend, and insert In Python, append, extend, and insert are methods used to modify lists, but they behave differently: append(): Adds one item to the end of …
Discussions

append() vs. extend()
Append takes an item and inserts it as an item to the list. Extend takes a LIST, and inserts each item in the given list as items. a=[1,2,3] a.extend([4]) # will result in [1,2,3,4] a.append([4]) # will result in [1,2,3,[4]] The last item being a list containing 4, and not just 4. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/learnpython
11
4
July 22, 2023
list.append() vs set.add()
"append" suggests positionality - it's adding something to the end of a list, whereas add just indicates adding to the collection, without neccessarily saying where it's added. Sets don't have an ordering, so there's really no such thing as an "end" of the set to append to, which is likely the rationale behind the different names : add just adds an item, whereas append adds it specifically at the end. More on reddit.com
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17
15
December 26, 2022
What is Python's list.append() method WORST Time Complexity? It can't be O(1), right?
I've read on Stackoverflow that in Python Array doubles in size when run of space It's actually not double, but it does increase proportional to the list size (IIRC it's about 12%, though there's some variance at smaller sizes). This does result in the same asymptotics though, so I'll assume doubling in the following description for simplicity. So basically it has to copy all addresses log(n) times. Not quite. Suppose we're appending n items to an empty vector. We will indeed do log(n) resizes, so you might think "Well, resizes are O(n), so log(n) resizes is n log(n) operations, which if we amortize over the n appends we did means n log(n)/n, or log(n) per append". However, there's a flaw in this analysis: we do not copy "all addresses" each of those times. Ie. the copies are not O(n). Sure, the last copy we do will involve copying n items, but the one before it only copied n/2, and so on. So we actually do 1 + 2 + 4 + ... + n copies, which sums to 2n-1. Divide that by n and you get ~2 operations per append - a constant. I assume since it copies addresses, not information We are indeed only copying the pointer, but this doesn't really matter for the complexity analysis. Even if it was copying a large structure, that'd only increase the time by a constant factor. Does that mean that O(1) is the average time complexity? It's the amortized worst case complexity (ie. what happens over a large number of operations). While any one operation can indeed end up doing O(n) operations, there's an important distinction that over a large number of operations, you are guaranteed to only be O(1), which is a distinction just talking about average case wouldn't capture. More on reddit.com
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11
3
October 26, 2022
Time Complexity of Python list comprehension then list[i] = value vs. list = [] then list.append(value)
In terms of Big O the algorithms are equivalent to each other as they both have linear growth. As you say, the list comprehension in the first example is O(n) so the function is O(2n), but in algorithmic analysis that is considered equivalent to O(n). In practical terms the second approach is better as it only requires one iteration over the input array. More on reddit.com
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September 26, 2021
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Stack Abuse
stackabuse.com › append-vs-extend-in-python-lists
append() vs extend() vs insert() in Python Lists
April 13, 2022 - If we want to add an element at the end of a list, we should use append. It is faster and direct. If we want to add an element somewhere within a list, we should use insert. It is the only option for this. If we want to combine the elements of another iterable to our list, then we should use extend.
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Geek Python
geekpython.in › insert-vs-append-vs-extend
Difference Between insert(), append() And extend() In Python With Examples
August 15, 2023 - insert() – This method is used to insert the element at the desired position in the list · append() – This method is used to add the element to the end of the list. extend() – This method is used to add each item from the iterable to ...
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Medium
medium.com › @vaishaliajmera11 › python-append-extend-and-insert-the-ultimate-guide-for-smart-developers-da07941a2a87
Python append(), extend(), and insert() — The Ultimate Guide for Smart Developers | by Vaishaliajmera | Medium
November 13, 2025 - No error is raised — Python automatically appends the element at the end. Use append() when adding a single element. Use extend() when merging multiple elements or iterables. Use insert() when you need precise control over the insertion index.
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Javatpoint
javatpoint.com › append-vs-extend-vs-insert-in-python
Difference between Append, Extend and Insert in Python - Javatpoint
Difference between Append, Extend and Insert in Python with python, tutorial, tkinter, button, overview, entry, checkbutton, canvas, frame, environment set-up, first python program, operators, etc.
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Towards Data Science
towardsdatascience.com › home › latest › what is the difference between append and extend list methods in python?
What Is the Difference Between append and extend List Methods in Python? | Towards Data Science
January 27, 2025 - Lists are probably the most commonly ... in Python as their characteristics are suitable for many different use-cases. Since this particular object type is mutable (i.e. it can be modified in place), adding or removing elements is even more common. In today’s article, we are going to explore the difference between the two built-in list methods append() and extend() that can be used to expand a list object by adding more elements to it. Finally, we will also discuss how to insert elements at ...
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GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › append-extend-python
Difference between append() and extend() in Python - GeeksforGeeks
January 13, 2026 - append() adds a single item (of any type) to the end of a list. extend() adds all elements from an iterable (like a list, tuple, or set) to the end of the current list.
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Tutorial Reference
tutorialreference.com › python › examples › faq › python-how-to-add-elements-to-list-append-vs-extend-vs-insert
How to Add Elements to a List in Python: append() vs extend() vs insert() | Tutorial Reference
Python provides three built-in methods to add elements to a list: append(), extend(), and insert(). Each behaves differently and choosing the wrong one leads to unexpected bugs.
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Data Science Parichay
datascienceparichay.com › home › blog › python list append, extend and insert
Python List Append, Extend and Insert - Data Science Parichay
October 4, 2020 - We see that of the three methods, append is the quickest. The extend function has a linear time complexity with respect to the size of the parameter (that is, the iterable) while the insert function has a linear time complexity with respect ...
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DigitalOcean
digitalocean.com › community › tutorials › python-add-to-list
How to Add Elements to a List in Python – Append, Insert & Extend | DigitalOcean
April 17, 2025 - There are four methods to add elements to a List in Python. append(): append the element to the end of the list. insert(): inserts the element before the given index. extend(): extends the list by appending elements from the iterable.
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EDUCBA
educba.com › home › software development › software development tutorials › top differences tutorial › append vs extend python
Append vs Extend Python: Key Differences with Examples
December 20, 2023 - Confusing append and insert: Insert adds an element at a specific index within the list, not at the end. Not considering performance: While the performance difference between append and extend is often negligible, it can be significant for large lists.
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Medium
medium.com › @lalbaburay.analyst › insert-append-and-extend-in-python-c88355b970ab
Insert, append, and extend in python | by Geeko_zip | Medium
March 29, 2023 - The argument passed in the append method is added as an element in the last and the index of the list increased by 1. ... It takes two arguments index and elements. We can place any type of element in the desired position. ... Suppose we want to insert more than one element or object in a list. Then we use extend method.
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GoLinuxCloud
golinuxcloud.com › home › programming › python append() vs extend() in list [practical examples]
Python append() vs extend() in list [Practical Examples] | GoLinuxCloud
January 9, 2024 - List l1 = ['C', 'C++', 'Java'] List l2 = ['C', 'C++', 'Java'] List l3 = ('Python', 'R', 'Perl') The result of l1.extend(l3) ['C', 'C++', 'Java', 'Python', 'R', 'Perl'] The size of list l1 is 6 The result of l2.append(l3) ['C', 'C++', 'Java', ('Python', 'R', 'Perl')] The size of list l2 is 4 · In this example, we are inserting elements from the dictionary using append and extend method.
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Quora
quora.com › What-is-the-difference-between-append-and-insert-in-Python
What is the difference between append and insert in Python? - Quora
However, insert gives you more control over where the new item is placed in the list. ... A better way to scale your website. Managed WordPress hosting that scales with you. Fast site, predictable costs — no surprises. ... Python s/w developer since 2011 - published since 2015 · Author has 13.3K answers and 23.8M answer views · 3y · Originally Answered: What is the difference between the "append" and "extend...
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Scaler
scaler.com › home › topics › difference between append and extend in python list methods
Difference Between Append and Extend in Python List Methods | Scaler Topics
April 4, 2024 - The append() method in the Python programming language adds an item to a list that already exists whereas the extend() method adds each of the iterable elements which is supplied as a parameter to the end of the original list.
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Medium
medium.com › @python-javascript-php-html-css › knowing-when-to-use-python-lists-append-vs-extend-97f970d08744
Knowing When to Use Python Lists’ append() vs. extend()
August 24, 2024 - On the other hand, extend() caters to a more complex need — merging one list with another. This method takes an iterable as its argument and appends each of its elements to the list, making it a go-to choice for concatenating lists efficiently.