Python: Find the list that has fewer total characters (including repetitions)

Last update on March 22 2025 13:46:59 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

List with Fewer Total Characters

Write a Python program to find a list of strings that have fewer total characters (including repetitions).

Input:
[['this', 'list', 'is', 'narrow'], ['I', 'am', 'shorter but wider']]

Output:
['this', 'list', 'is', 'narrow']

Input:
[['Red', 'Black', 'Pink'], ['Green', 'Red', 'White']]

Output:
['Red', 'Black', 'Pink']

Visual Presentation:

Sample Solution:

Python Code:

# License: https://bit.ly/3oLErEI

# Define a function named 'test' that takes a list of lists of strings 'strs' as input
def test(strs):
    # Use the min function with a lambda function as the key to find the list with the fewest total characters
    return min(strs, key=lambda x: sum(len(i) for i in x))

# Assign a specific list of lists of strings 'strs' to the variable
strs = [['this', 'list', 'is', 'narrow'], ['I', 'am', 'shorter but wider']]

# Print the original list of lists of strings 'strs'
print("Original List:")
print(strs)

# Print a message indicating the operation to be performed
print("\nFind the given list of strings that has fewer total characters:")

# Print the result of the test function applied to the 'strs' list
print(test(strs))

# Assign another specific list of lists of strings 'strs' to the variable
strs = [['Red', 'Black', 'Pink'], ['Green', 'Red', 'White']]

# Print the original list of lists of strings 'strs'
print("\nOriginal List:")
print(strs)

# Print a message indicating the operation to be performed
print("\nFind the given list of strings that has fewer total characters:")

# Print the result of the test function applied to the 'strs' list
print(test(strs))

Sample Output:

Original List:
[['this', 'list', 'is', 'narrow'], ['I', 'am', 'shorter but wider']]

Find the given list of strings that has fewer total characters:
['this', 'list', 'is', 'narrow']

Original List:
[['Red', 'Black', 'Pink'], ['Green', 'Red', 'White']]

Find the given list of strings that has fewer total characters:
['Red', 'Black', 'Pink']

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Python program to compare two lists of strings and return the one with the fewest total characters.
• Write a Python program to calculate the total number of characters in each list and select the list with the smallest sum.
• Write a Python program to iterate over a list of string lists and determine which has the minimal cumulative character count.
• Write a Python program to use map() and sum() to compute total characters for each list, then return the list with the lower total.

Python Code Editor :

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