Python String startswith() Method

Last Updated : 2 Jan 2026

Python startswith() method returns either True or False. It returns True if the string starts with the prefix, otherwise False. It takes two parameters start and end. Start is a starting index from where searching starts and end index is where searching stops.

Syntax of the Python String startswith() Method

It has the following syntax:

Parameters

• prefix : A string which is to be checked.
• start : Start index from where searching starts.
• end : End index till there searching performs.

Both start and end are optional parameters.

Return

It returns boolean value either True or False.

Different Examples for Python String startswith() method

Let's see some examples of startswith() method to understand it's functionality.

Example 1

Let's first create a simple example which prints True if the string starts with the prefix.

Output:

Example 2

If the string does not start with prefix, the method returns False. See the example below

Output:

Example 3

This method takes three parameters. The start and end index are optional. Here, we are passing start index only.

Output:

Example 4

It returns true if the string lie between start and end index starts from the prefix. An example is created to describe the process.

Output: