Write a Python function to count the number of words in a string.
FrankMl
Posted by FrankMl
Last Updated: August 29, 2024
Python function
Counting Words in a String Using Python
To count the number of words in a string using Python, a simple and effective approach can be implemented using the built-in string methods. Below is a Python function that achieves this goal, along with a breakdown of how it works.
Python Function
def count_words(input_string):
    # Strip leading and trailing whitespace and split the string by whitespace
    words = input_string.strip().split()
    # Return the number of words
    return len(words)
Function Explanation
1. Input Parameter: The function count_words takes a single parameter input_string, which is the string whose words are to be counted. 2. Removing Whitespace: The strip() method is called on the string to remove any leading or trailing whitespace, ensuring that extra spaces do not result in inaccurate word counts. 3. Splitting the String: The split() method is then used to break the string into a list of words. By default, split() splits by any whitespace and handles multiple consecutive spaces correctly. 4. Counting Words: The len() function calculates the number of elements in the list, which corresponds to the number of words in the original string. 5. Return Value: The function returns the count of words.
Example Usage
Here is an example of how to use the count_words function: 
text = "   Hello, World! This is a sample string.   "
word_count = count_words(text)
print(f"The number of words in the string is: {word_count}")
Output
This would output: 
The number of words in the string is: 7
Conclusion
This function is efficient and works well for standard cases of word counting. It accurately handles strings with varying amounts of whitespace, making it a reliable tool for text analysis in Python.
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