How to Access Value by Key in Dictionary in Python

In Python, you access a value in a dictionary by using its key inside square brackets like dict[key]. Alternatively, you can use the dict.get(key) method which returns None if the key is missing instead of an error.

Syntax

To get a value from a dictionary, use the key inside square brackets or the get() method.

• dict[key]: Returns the value for the given key. Raises KeyError if the key is not found.
• dict.get(key): Returns the value for the key if it exists, otherwise returns None or a default value if provided.

python

value = my_dict[key]
value = my_dict.get(key)
value = my_dict.get(key, default_value)

Example

This example shows how to access values by keys using both square brackets and the get() method.

python

my_dict = {'apple': 5, 'banana': 3, 'orange': 7}

# Access using square brackets
apple_count = my_dict['apple']
print('Apple count:', apple_count)

# Access using get() method
banana_count = my_dict.get('banana')
print('Banana count:', banana_count)

# Using get() with a default value for a missing key
grape_count = my_dict.get('grape', 0)
print('Grape count:', grape_count)

Output

Apple count: 5
Banana count: 3
Grape count: 0

Common Pitfalls

Trying to access a key that does not exist using square brackets causes a KeyError. To avoid this, use the get() method which safely returns None or a default value instead.

python

# Wrong way - causes KeyError if key missing
my_dict = {'a': 1}
# print(my_dict['b'])  # This will raise KeyError

# Right way - safe access
print(my_dict.get('b'))        # Prints None
print(my_dict.get('b', 0))     # Prints 0 as default

Output

None
0

Quick Reference

Method	Description	Behavior if Key Missing
dict[key]	Access value by key	Raises KeyError
dict.get(key)	Access value by key safely	Returns None
dict.get(key, default)	Access value with default	Returns default value

Key Takeaways

Use square brackets dict[key] to access values but be careful of missing keys causing errors.

Use dict.get(key) to safely access values without errors if the key is missing.

You can provide a default value to get() to return instead of None when the key is missing.

Always handle missing keys to avoid runtime errors in your programs.