Python string capwords() method

capwords() method in Python is a part of the string module and is used to capitalize the first letter of every word in a given string while converting all other letters to lowercase. To use capwords(), the string module must be imported as it is not a built-in string method.

import string

s = "learn python with geeksforgeeks!"
formatted = string.capwords(s)
print(formatted) 

Learn Python With Geeksforgeeks!

Explanation:

• The string.capwords() method processes the string 's' by splitting it into words, capitalizing the first letter of each word and joining them back together.
• The method also converts any uppercase letters in the middle of a word to lowercase.
• Punctuation marks are not removed but remain part of the resulting string.

Syntax of capwords() Method

string.capwords(string, sep=None)

Parameters

• string:
  • The input string to be processed.
• sep (optional):
  • The delimiter used to separate words in the string. If omitted, any whitespace is treated as the separator.

Return Type

• Returns a new string where the first letter of each word is capitalized, and all other letters are converted to lowercase.

Examples of String capwords()

1. Capitalizing words in a simple sentence

When working with sentences, ensuring consistent capitalization can significantly enhance readability. This method is especially useful in titles and headings.

import string

s = "learn python with geeksforgeeks!"
formatted = string.capwords(s)
print(formatted)  

Learn Python With Geeksforgeeks!

Explanation:

• The input string 's' contains all lowercase words.
• The capwords() method capitalizes the first letter of each word and lowers the rest, resulting in proper formatting.

2. Using a custom separator

When strings use specific separators like commas or hyphens instead of spaces, the sep parameter can be used for precise formatting.

import string

s = "learn-python-with-geeksforgeeks!"
formatted = string.capwords(s, sep="-")
print(formatted)  

Learn-Python-With-Geeksforgeeks!

Explanation:

• The sep parameter specifies "-" as the delimiter.
• The method capitalizes the first letter of each segment separated by the hyphen and keeps the separator intact.

3. Handling mixed-case strings

This method is ideal for normalizing text where some words are already capitalized or contain uppercase letters.

import string

s = "lEARn pythON wITh gEEksfORgEEks!"
formatted = string.capwords(s)
print(formatted)  

Learn Python With Geeksforgeeks!

Explanation:

• The input string contains a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters.
• The capwords() method converts all letters to lowercase first, then capitalizes the first letter of each word.