Python String isalpha() Method

Q: How do I check if a string contains only letters in Python?

Use `text.isalpha()`. It returns `True` only if every character is a letter and the string is not empty.

Q: Does isalpha() allow spaces?

No. A space is not a letter, so `"hello world".isalpha()` is `False`.

Q: Does isalpha() work with non-English letters?

Yes. It uses Unicode, so `"é".isalpha()` and `"你".isalpha()` are both `True`.

By Yogesh Sharma (LinkedIn) · Every code example is run and checked on Python 3.13 (how we test) · Last updated 21 Oct 2026

Short answer

str.isalpha() returns True if the string is not empty and every character is a letter. Spaces, digits, hyphens and punctuation make it False.

Use isalpha() when text should consist of letters only, such as a first name field or a code made of letters. It follows Unicode, so letters such as é or क count as letters, not just a-z. The sibling checks are isdigit() for digits and isalnum() for letters or digits.

Quick facts
Syntax	`text.isalpha()`
Parameters	None
Returns	`True` if every character is a letter and the string is not empty, else `False`
Empty string	`False`
Counts as letters	Letters of any language, such as `é`, `ß`, `你`

What counts as a letter

A letter is any character Unicode puts in a letter category. Digits, spaces, underscores and symbols are not letters.

Python

for s in ["Asha", "Asha Rao", "abc123", "café", "", "o'neil"]:
    print(repr(s), s.isalpha())

Notice that "Asha Rao" is False because of the space, and so is "o'neil" because of the apostrophe.

Checking a name made of several words

Real names often contain spaces or hyphens, so a plain isalpha() rejects valid input. Remove the allowed separators first, or test word by word with split().

Python

name = "Mary-Anne Smith"
cleaned = name.replace("-", "").replace(" ", "")
print(cleaned.isalpha())

isalpha() compared with the other character checks

Test string	`isalpha()`	`isdigit()`	`isalnum()`
`"abc"`	`True`	`False`	`True`
`"123"`	`False`	`True`	`True`
`"abc123"`	`False`	`False`	`True`
`"abc 123"`	`False`	`False`	`False`
`""`	`False`	`False`	`False`

Examples you can run

Press Run, then edit the code and run it again.

Letters only or not

The basic behaviour, including spaces and the empty string.

Letters only or not

print("Python".isalpha())
print("Python3".isalpha())
print("Py thon".isalpha())
print("".isalpha())

Expected outputTrue
False
False
False

Validate a name typed by the user

An if statement decides between accepting and rejecting the text.

Validate a name typed by the user

name = input("First name: ")
if name.isalpha():
    print("Welcome,", name.title())
else:
    print("Letters only, please.")

Input (stdin) — one line per input() call

Expected outputFirst name: asha
Welcome, Asha

Keep only the letters of a string

Combine isalpha() with a generator expression and join() to filter characters.

Keep only the letters of a string

text = "Order #A-102, qty: 5"
letters = "".join(ch for ch in text if ch.isalpha())
print(letters)

Expected outputOrderAqty

Letters from other languages

Unicode letters count, so accented names pass.

Letters from other languages

for s in ["José", "Zoë", "Müller", "Jo3"]:
    print(s, s.isalpha())

Expected outputJosé True
Zoë True
Müller True
Jo3 False

Common mistakes

Rejecting names with spaces

✗ Wrong

print("Asha Rao".isalpha())

Prints False because the space is not a letter.

✓ Right

print(all(w.isalpha() for w in "Asha Rao".split()))

Remove or allow separators before testing, or check each word.

Assuming the empty string passes

✗ Wrong

print("".isalpha())

Prints False, which surprises people who expect "nothing but letters" to be true.

✓ Right

text = ""
print(text == "" or text.isalpha())

Treat emptiness as its own case if you need to.

Forgetting to call the method

✗ Wrong

word = "Hi"
if word.isalpha:
    print("letters")

No error, but the condition is always true because it tests the method object, not the result.

✓ Right

word = "Hi2"
if word.isalpha():
    print("letters")
else:
    print("not only letters")

Add the parentheses: word.isalpha().

Python String isalpha() Method: questions people ask

How do I check if a string contains only letters in Python?

Use text.isalpha(). It returns True only if every character is a letter and the string is not empty.

Does isalpha() allow spaces?

No. A space is not a letter, so "hello world".isalpha() is False.

Does isalpha() work with non-English letters?

Yes. It uses Unicode, so "é".isalpha() and "你".isalpha() are both True.

Keep learning

Step-by-step lessons:
Python Strings Python String Methods

More in string methods:
Python String split() Method Python String join() Method Python String strip() Method Python String lstrip() Method Python String rstrip() Method Python String replace() Method Python String upper() Method Python String lower() Method See all →