Python Comments: A Complete Guide with Examples and Output

Comments in Python are lines in your code that the interpreter ignores during execution. They are used to explain code, making it easier to read and maintain. Comments are helpful for documenting your code or temporarily disabling parts of it for testing.

Types of Comments in Python

Python supports two main types of comments:

1. Single-line comments
2. Multi-line comments

1. Single-Line Comments

A single-line comment starts with a # symbol. Everything after the # on that line is ignored by Python.

Example: Single-Line Comment

# This is a single-line comment
name = "Dharmender"  # This variable stores the name
print("Hello,", name)

Output:

Hello, Dharmender

Explanation:

• The first line is a single-line comment explaining the code.
• The comment after name = "John" is ignored when the code is executed.

2. Multi-Line Comments

Python does not have a specific syntax for multi-line comments, but you can use triple quotes (''' or """) to simulate them.

Example: Multi-Line Comment

"""
This is a multi-line comment.
It spans multiple lines to explain the code in detail.
"""
name = "Amit"
print("Welcome,", name)

Output:

Welcome, Amit

Explanation:
The triple quotes act as a multi-line comment, which is ignored during execution.

3. Commenting for Debugging

You can use comments to temporarily disable parts of your code during testing or debugging.

Example: Debugging with Comments

number = 10
# print("This line is commented out and won't be executed")
print("The number is:", number)

Output:

The number is: 10

4. Best Practices for Writing Comments

• Keep comments short and to the point.

• ✅ Good: # Calculate the area of a circle
• ❌ Bad: # This line is calculating the area of a circle using the formula πr²
• Use comments to explain why, not what.

• ✅ Good: # Skip negative values to avoid errors
• ❌ Bad: # This checks if the value is less than zero
• Avoid excessive commenting. Code should be self-explanatory.

Using comments effectively makes your Python code more understandable and maintainable. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced developer, adopting good commenting practices is essential for writing clean and professional code.

Keep Learning 🙂