PythonHow-ToBeginner · 3 min read

How to Print Tab Separated Values in Python Easily

To print tab separated values in Python, use the print() function with the sep='\t' argument. This tells Python to insert a tab character between each value when printing.

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Syntax

The basic syntax to print tab separated values is:

print(value1, value2, ..., sep='\t')

Here, value1, value2, ... are the items you want to print. The sep='\t' part tells Python to put a tab character between each value instead of the default space.

python

print('apple', 'banana', 'cherry', sep='\t')

Output

apple banana cherry

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Example

This example shows how to print three words separated by tabs. It demonstrates how the sep='\t' argument changes the output spacing.

python

print('name', 'age', 'city', sep='\t')
print('Alice', 30, 'New York', sep='\t')
print('Bob', 25, 'Los Angeles', sep='\t')

Output

name age city Alice 30 New York Bob 25 Los Angeles

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Common Pitfalls

A common mistake is forgetting to set sep='\t', which results in values separated by spaces instead of tabs. Another is trying to add tabs manually inside strings, which is less flexible and error-prone.

Wrong way (no tab separator):

print('apple', 'banana', 'cherry')

Right way (using sep='\t'):

print('apple', 'banana', 'cherry', sep='\t')

python

print('apple', 'banana', 'cherry')
print('apple', 'banana', 'cherry', sep='\t')

Output

apple banana cherry apple banana cherry

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Quick Reference

Usage	Description
print(value1, value2, sep='\t')	Print values separated by tabs
sep=' ' (default)	Print values separated by spaces
Use '\t' inside strings	Manual tab character inside text (less flexible)

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Key Takeaways

Use print() with sep='\t' to print tab separated values easily.

Without sep='\t', print() separates values with spaces by default.

Avoid manually adding '\t' inside strings for better clarity and flexibility.

This method works with any number of values passed to print().

Tab separated output is useful for creating readable columns or TSV files.