Understanding Positional and Keyword Arguments in Python: Simplifying Function Calls

Learn How to Pass Arguments to Functions Effectively in Python

Max N
3 min readMar 24, 2024
Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash

When it comes to calling functions in Python, understanding the difference between positional and keyword arguments is crucial. These concepts may seem intimidating at first, but they’re fundamental to writing clean and efficient Python code.

In this article, we’ll explore positional and keyword arguments, demystify their usage, and provide practical examples to solidify your understanding.

Positional Arguments

Positional arguments are passed to a function based on their position or order in the function’s parameter list. They’re the most basic type of argument and are required unless specified otherwise by default parameter values. Let’s dive into an example:

def greet(name, message):
print(f"{message}, {name}!")

# Calling the greet function with positional arguments
greet("Alice", "Hello") # Output: Hello, Alice!

In this example, "Alice" is assigned to the name parameter because it's the first argument, and "Hello" is assigned to the message parameter because it's the second argument. Positional arguments are intuitive and easy to use, but they rely on…

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Max N

A writer that writes about JavaScript and Python to beginners. If you find my articles helpful, feel free to follow.