This works:
>>> 'a b c'.split(None, 1)
['a', 'b c']
The docstring:
S.split(sep=None, maxsplit=-1) -> list of strings
Return a list of the words in S, using sep as the delimiter string. If maxsplit is given, at most maxsplit splits are done. If sep is not specified or is None, any whitespace string is a separator and empty strings are removed from the result.
You should explore at the interactive prompt:
>>> help('a'.split)
In IPython just use a question mark:
In [1]: s = 'a'
In [2]: s.split?
I would suggest using IPython and especially the Notebook. This makes this kind of exploration much more convenient.
Answer from Mike Müller on Stack Overflow Top answer 1 of 3
39
This works:
>>> 'a b c'.split(None, 1)
['a', 'b c']
The docstring:
S.split(sep=None, maxsplit=-1) -> list of strings
Return a list of the words in S, using sep as the delimiter string. If maxsplit is given, at most maxsplit splits are done. If sep is not specified or is None, any whitespace string is a separator and empty strings are removed from the result.
You should explore at the interactive prompt:
>>> help('a'.split)
In IPython just use a question mark:
In [1]: s = 'a'
In [2]: s.split?
I would suggest using IPython and especially the Notebook. This makes this kind of exploration much more convenient.
2 of 3
5
If you specify None as a separator, you'll get the default behavior:
str.split(None, maxsplit)
S.split([sep [,maxsplit]]) -> list of strings
Return a list of the words in the string S, using sep as the delimiter string. If maxsplit is given, at most maxsplit splits are done. If sep is not specified or is None, any whitespace string is a separator and empty strings are removed from the result.
W3Schools
w3schools.com › python › ref_string_split.asp
Python String split() Method
The split() method splits a string into a list. You can specify the separator, default separator is any whitespace. Note: When maxsplit is specified, the list will contain the specified number of elements plus one.
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Programiz
programiz.com › python-programming › methods › string › split
Python String split()
The split() method breaks down ... str.split(separator, maxsplit) The split() method takes a maximum of 2 parameters: separator (optional) - Specifies the delimiter used to split the string....
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python › python-string-split
Python split() Method - GeeksforGeeks
July 1, 2026 - maxsplit (optional): Specifies the maximum number of splits to perform. The default value is -1, which means the string is split at all occurrences of the separator. Return Value: Returns a list of strings containing the parts obtained after ...
Python Morsels
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The string split method in Python - Python Morsels
September 27, 2024 - >>> line = "Rubber duck|5|10" >>> line.split("|", maxsplit=1) ['Rubber duck', '5|10'] This is especially handy when you only care about the first or the first couple occurrences of a separator within a string.
Real Python
realpython.com › python-split-string
How to Split a String in Python – Real Python
October 22, 2025 - This is especially useful when ... as a single unit. Python’s .split() method provides an optional maxsplit parameter that allows you to specify the maximum number of splits to perform....
Finxter
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A Comprehensive Guide to maxsplit in Python - Be on the Right Side of Change
December 9, 2022 - Summary: maxsplit is one of the optional parameters used in the split() function. If maxsplit is specified within the split function, then the maximum number of splits done will be given by the specified maxsplit.
GeeksforGeeks
geeksforgeeks.org › python-string-split
Python String split() - GeeksforGeeks
April 2, 2025 - The string splits at this specified separator. If is not provided then any white space is a separator. maxsplit: It is a number, that tells us to split the string into a maximum of the provided number of times.
Python Reference
python-reference.readthedocs.io › en › latest › docs › str › split.html
split — Python Reference (The Right Way) 0.1 documentation
Returns a list of the words in the string, separated by the delimiter string. str. split([sep[, maxsplit]]) sep · Optional. Character dividing the string into split groups; default is space. maxsplit · Optional. Number of splits to do; default is -1 which splits all the items.
IONOS
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How to split strings with Python split - IONOS
February 1, 2023 - The separator parameter specifies which string to split. The corresponding split will then take place where you have specified that it should occur. The maxsplit specifies how often the string should be split.
Learn By Example
learnbyexample.org › python-string-split-method
Python String split() Method - Learn By Example
April 20, 2020 - # Split with comma ( , ) semicolon ( ; ) and colon ( : ) S = 'red,green;blue:yellow' import re x = re.split('[,;:]',S) print(x) # Prints ['red', 'green', 'blue', 'yellow'] If maxsplit is specified, split() counts splits from the left end, whereas ...
W3Schools
w3schools.com › python › ref_string_rsplit.asp
Python String rsplit() Method
If no "max" is specified, this method will return the same as the split() method. Note: When maxsplit is specified, the list will contain the specified number of elements plus one.
Mimo
mimo.org › glossary › python › string-split-method
Learn Python's String Split Method, Simplify Text Processing
maxsplit: An optional parameter to specify the maximum number of splits. The default value (-1) splits the string at every occurrence of the separator. The str.split() method is one of Python’s essential string methods, particularly useful for handling strings of various data types.
freeCodeCamp
freecodecamp.org › news › how-to-split-a-string-in-python
Python .split() – Splitting a String in Python
September 8, 2022 - If this argument is not provided, the default value is any whitespace, meaning the string will split whenever .split() encounters any whitespace. The second optional argument is maxsplit, which specifies the maximum number of splits the .split() ...
Python Tutorial
pythontutorial.net › home › python string methods › python string split()
How To Split a String using Python String split() Method
December 28, 2020 - The following shows the syntax ... whitespace as a single delimiter and return a list of non-empty substrings. The maxsplit parameter specifies the maximum number of splits that the method will carry....
Leapcell
leapcell.io › blog › understanding-python-split-method
Understanding Python's `.split()` Method | Leapcell
July 25, 2025 - Its basic syntax is: ... separator (optional): The delimiter by which the string is split. If not specified, the default is any whitespace. maxsplit (optional): Specifies the maximum number of splits to do.
DigitalOcean
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Python String Split() Method | DigitalOcean
April 17, 2024 - If maxsplit is not specified or -1, then there is no limit on the number of splits and all possible splits are returned in the list. Let’s look at a simple example where a string will be split into a list based on the specified delimiter. s = 'Python is Nice' # simple string split example ...
Real Python
realpython.com › videos › using-split-method-fundamentals
Using the .split() Method: Fundamentals (Video) – Real Python
If you don’t provide anything ... spaces, tabs, or new lines. 00:59 You’ll see this in action very soon. maxsplit is the second optional argument....
Published: September 9, 2025
Note.nkmk.me
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Split a String in Python (Delimiter, Line Breaks, Regex) | note.nkmk.me
May 4, 2025 - Note that this behavior differs ... ')) # ['', 'one', 'two', '', 'three', ''] ... You can limit the number of splits by specifying the second argument, maxsplit....
BelieveMy
believemy.com › python glossary › split
What is the split() method in Python? | Python glossary
February 11, 2026 - sep (optional): the separator used to split the string. Defaults to None, which means Python uses whitespace. maxsplit (optional): the maximum number of splits to perform.