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Working with nested lists in Python? Learn how to flatten them into one simple list using different approaches like loops, list comprehensions, or built-in libraries.
Working with nested lists in Python? Learn how to flatten them into one simple list using different approaches like loops, list comprehensions, or built-in libraries.
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Log in to answerBest Answer · By JanBask Python Expert
Answered on Apr 17, 2025
Flattening a list of lists in Python basically means converting a nested structure like [[1, 2], [3, 4], [5]] into a single flat list like [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. There are several ways to do this depending on your preference and the complexity of the nested lists.
Here are some common methods:
Using list comprehension (most common and readable):
nested_list = [[1, 2], [3, 4], [5]]
flat_list = [item for sublist in nested_list for item in sublist]
print(flat_list) # Output: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]Using itertools.chain:
import itertools
flat_list = list(itertools.chain.from_iterable(nested_list))Using a simple loop:
flat_list = []
for sublist in nested_list:
for item in sublist:
flat_list.append(item)A few things to keep in mind:
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