How to Check if String Ends with Specific Character in Python

In Python, you can check if a string ends with a specific character using the endswith() method. For example, my_string.endswith('a') returns True if my_string ends with the character 'a', otherwise False.

Syntax

The endswith() method checks if a string ends with the specified suffix (character or substring). It returns True if it does, otherwise False.

• string.endswith(suffix): Checks if string ends with suffix.
• suffix can be a single character or a substring.

python

string.endswith(suffix)

Example

This example shows how to check if a string ends with the character 'x' and prints the result.

python

my_string = "hellox"
if my_string.endswith('x'):
    print("The string ends with 'x'.")
else:
    print("The string does not end with 'x'.")

Output

The string ends with 'x'.

Common Pitfalls

One common mistake is to compare the last character manually without checking if the string is empty, which can cause errors. Another is to use == to compare the whole string instead of just the ending.

Also, endswith() is case-sensitive, so 'A' and 'a' are different.

python

my_string = "Hello"

# Wrong: May cause error if string is empty
# if my_string[-1] == 'o':
#     print("Ends with 'o'")

# Right: Use endswith() safely
if my_string.endswith('o'):
    print("Ends with 'o'")
else:
    print("Does not end with 'o'")

Output

Ends with 'o'

Quick Reference

Method	Description	Example	Returns
endswith(suffix)	Checks if string ends with suffix	my_string.endswith('a')	True or False
[-1] == char	Checks last character manually (risky if empty)	my_string[-1] == 'a'	True or False

Key Takeaways

Use the endswith() method to check if a string ends with a specific character safely.

endswith() is case-sensitive; 'a' and 'A' are different characters.

Avoid accessing string[-1] without checking if the string is empty to prevent errors.

endswith() works with both single characters and longer substrings.

Use endswith() for clear, readable, and safe code.