Question

Dictionary keeps the order correctly when there are around 1,2 or 3 elements only

>>> a = ["dorian", "strawberry", "apple"]
>>> b = ["sweet", "delicious", "tasty"]
>>> c = dict(zip(a, b))
>>> c
{'dorian': 'sweet', 'strawberry': 'delicious', 'apple': 'tasty'}

But when there are over 3 elements, the order is broken

>>> a = ["dorian", "strawberry", "apple", "coconut"]
>>> b = ["sweet", "delicious", "tasty", "yum"]
>>> c = dict(zip(a, b))
>>> c
{'strawberry': 'delicious', 'coconut': 'yum', 'dorian': 'sweet', 'apple': 'tasty'}

Could anyone please explain why it happens that way ? thanks

Answer 1

Python dictionaries don’t maintain any order, you should use OrderedDict for that.

In [7]: from collections import OrderedDict as od

In [8]: a = ["dorian", "strawberry", "apple"]

In [9]: b = ["sweet", "delicious", "tasty"]

In [10]: dic=od(zip(a,b))

In [11]: dic
Out[11]: OrderedDict([('dorian', 'sweet'), ('strawberry', 'delicious'), ('apple', 'tasty')])