{"id":2632,"date":"2026-10-20T09:56:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T09:56:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/?p=2632"},"modified":"2026-10-21T10:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T10:38:33","slug":"comments-in-python-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prwatech.in\/blog\/python\/python-introduction\/comments-in-python-language\/","title":{"rendered":"Comments in Python Language"},"content":{"rendered":"

Comments in Python: Single Line, Multi Line and Docstrings<\/b><\/strong><\/h1>\n

Open a program you wrote three months ago. Even if the code is correct, you may stare at a line and wonder why you wrote it that way. Now imagine a stranger reading it, or a new teammate on Monday morning. Code tells the computer what to do. Comments tell people why.<\/p>\n

A comment is a note inside your code that Python ignores when the program runs. It does not change the result, but it changes how fast another person, or you in the future, can understand and fix the program. Good comments explain the reasons behind the code, flag the tricky parts, and mark work that is not finished. They are also a handy tool for switching a line off while you test.<\/p>\n

In this tutorial, we explain how to write a comment in Python, and then go through single line comments, inline comments and the so called multi line comment. We show what Python really does with triple quotes, how docstrings differ from comments, and how to comment out code quickly. We finish with the style rules from PEP 8, examples of good and bad comments, and the common mistakes. Every example was run on Python 3.13.<\/p>\n

What is a Comment in Python?<\/h2>\n

A comment is text that the Python interpreter skips. You write it for human readers. Comments are used to explain what a block of code does, to describe why a choice was made, to leave a reminder, and to stop a line from running while you test.<\/p>\n

How to Comment in Python?<\/h2>\n

A comment starts with a hash sign. Everything from the hash to the end of that line is ignored. The comment can sit on its own line, or after some code.<\/p>\n

\n
python<\/div>\n
# This is a comment. Python ignores it.\r\nprint(\"Hello\")  # an inline comment, after code<\/pre>\n
output<\/div>\n
Hello<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Only the print line ran. The comments left no trace and printed nothing.<\/p>\n
Types of Python Comments<\/h2>\n
People usually group comments into single line and multi line comments. The two groups are useful for learning, but the second one needs care, which is explained below.<\/p>\n
Single Line Comment in Python<\/h3>\n
A single line comment uses one hash sign and fits on one line.<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
# Comment<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Here is a single line comment in a working program:<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
# This is a comment.\r\nprint(\"Hello\")<\/pre>\n
output<\/div>\n
Hello<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Inline Comments<\/h3>\n
An inline comment sits on the same line as the code, after it. Leave at least two spaces between the code and the hash, and one space after the hash. This is the PEP 8 rule, and it keeps the line readable.<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
price = 100\r\nprice = price * 1.18  # add 18 percent GST<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
A Hash Inside Text Is Not a Comment<\/h3>\n
If the hash sits inside quotes, Python treats it as part of the text.<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
print(\"Item # 5\")\r\nprint('Price: Rs 100 # not a comment')<\/pre>\n
output<\/div>\n
Item # 5\r\nPrice: Rs 100 # not a comment<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Multi Line Comment in Python<\/h2>\n
Python has no special syntax for a multi line comment. There are two ways people write one, and they are not the same thing.<\/p>\n
Way 1: several lines that each start with a hash.<\/strong> This is the real way, and the one that Python’s own style guide recommends. Most editors can add the hash to a whole block with one shortcut.<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
# Step 1: read the marks\r\n# Step 2: find the average\r\n# Step 3: print the result\r\nmarks = [70, 80, 90]\r\nprint(sum(marks) \/ len(marks))<\/pre>\n
output<\/div>\n
80.0<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Way 2: a triple quoted string.<\/strong> Three single quotes or three double quotes can wrap text over many lines. Python does not treat this as a comment. It reads it as a string. Since nothing uses that string, Python throws it away, so it behaves like a comment.<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
\"\"\"\r\nThis is a multi line text.\r\nPython reads it as a string,\r\nand then throws it away because nothing uses it.\r\n\"\"\"\r\nprint(\"Triple quotes ran without error\")<\/pre>\n
output<\/div>\n
Triple quotes ran without error<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n
Two mistakes break this. The first is curly quotes, which text copied from a web page or a word processor often contains. The second is opening with one kind of quote and closing with another. The marks must be straight, three of them, and the same at the start and the end. Here is what Python says to each broken version:<\/p>\n
\n
python<\/div>\n
bad_examples = [\r\n    \"\\u2018\\u2018comment\\u2019\\u2019\",\r\n    \"\\u201c\\u201c\\u201cText\\u201d\\u201d\\u201d\",\r\n    \"'''comment\\\"\\\"\\\"\",\r\n]\r\nfor text in bad_examples:\r\n    try:\r\n        compile(text, \"<page>\", \"exec\")\r\n    except SyntaxError as e:\r\n        print(\"SyntaxError:\", e.msg)<\/pre>\n
output<\/div>\n
SyntaxError: invalid character '\u2018' (U+2018)\r\nSyntaxError: invalid character '\u201c' (U+201C)\r\nSyntaxError: unterminated triple-quoted string literal (detected at line 1)<\/pre>\n<\/div>\n