Question

How can I compare strings in a case insensitive way in Python?

I would like to encapsulate comparison of a regular strings to a repository string, using simple and Pythonic code. I also would like to have ability to look up values in a dict hashed by strings using regular python strings.

Answer 1

Assuming ASCII strings:

string1 = 'Hello' string2 = 'hello'  if string1.lower() == string2.lower():     print("The strings are the same (case insensitive)") else:     print("The strings are NOT the same (case insensitive)") 

As of Python 3.3, casefold() is a better alternative:

string1 = 'Hello' string2 = 'hello'  if string1.casefold() == string2.casefold():     print("The strings are the same (case insensitive)") else:     print("The strings are NOT the same (case insensitive)") 

If you want a more comprehensive solution that handles more complex unicode comparisons, see other answers.