Use zip for Parallel Iteration in Python

Hi Pythonistas!

Today I'm sharing one of Python’s most elegant and useful features — but surprisingly underused: the zip() function.

Whenever I need to iterate over multiple sequences together, zip() saves the day — and makes the code cleaner, safer, and more Pythonic.

The Problem: Parallel Loops Without zip()

names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
scores = [85, 92, 78]

for i in range(len(names)):
    print(f"{names[i]} scored {scores[i]}")

This works, but:

✅ The Pythonic Way: Use zip()

names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
scores = [85, 92, 78]

for name, score in zip(names, scores):
    print(f"{name} scored {score}")

This is more:

Bonus: Use zip() with enumerate() for Index Tracking

for i, (name, score) in enumerate(zip(names, scores), start=1):
    print(f"{i}. {name} scored {score}")

Be Careful
zip() stops at the shortest input:

names = ["Alice", "Bob"]
scores = [85, 92, 78]

for name, score in zip(names, scores):
    print(f"{name} scored {score}")

Output:

Alice scored 85
Bob scored 92

The third score (78) is silently ignored!

If You Need Full Length + Fill Missing Use itertools.zip_longest

from itertools import zip_longest

for name, score in zip_longest(names, scores, fillvalue="N/A"):
    print(f"{name} scored {score}")

Output

Alice scored 85
Bob scored 92
N/A scored 78

TL;DR