Python - Reversing a Tuple

We are given a tuple and our task is to reverse whole tuple. For example, tuple t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) so after reversing the tuple the resultant output should be (5, 4, 3, 2, 1).

Using Slicing

Most common and Pythonic way to reverse a tuple is by using slicing with a step of -1, here is how we can do it:

t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
# Reverse the tuple using slicing with a step of -1
rev = t[::-1]
print(rev) 

(5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Explanation:

• t[::-1] creates a new tuple by iterating through t in reverse order.
• Original tuple t remains unchanged and reversed tuple is stored in rev.

Using reversed()

reversed() function returns an iterator that can be converted to a tuple.

t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)  
# Reverse the tuple using the built-in reversed() function and convert it back to a tuple
rev = tuple(reversed(t))
print(rev)  

(5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Explanation:

• reversed(t) returns an iterator that iterates through tuple in reverse order.
• tuple(reversed(t)) converts reversed iterator into a new tuple without modifying the original tuple.

Using a Loop

We can manually reverse the tuple by iterating from the end using a loop.

t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)  
# Reverse the tuple by iterating through the indices in reverse order
rev = tuple(t[i] for i in range(len(t) - 1, -1, -1))
print(rev)  

(5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Explanation:

• range(len(t) - 1, -1, -1) generates indices from the last element to the first, allowing element access in reverse order.
• Generator expression collects these elements into a new tuple ensuring the original tuple remains unmodified.

Using collections.deque

In this method we are using collections.deque, which provides a reverse() method for in-place reversal of the tuple.

from collections import deque  
t = (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
deq = deque(t)
# Reverse the deque in place
deq.reverse()
# Convert the reversed deque back to a tuple
rev = tuple(deq)
print(rev)  

(5, 4, 3, 2, 1)

Explanation:

• deque(t) allows efficient in-place reversal with its reverse() method avoiding the need for additional looping or slicing.
• tuple(deq) converts the reversed deque back to a tuple ensuring the result is a new tuple while leaving the original tuple unmodified.