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Python Set remove() Function

The Set remove() method removes a specified element from the set.

note

If the specified element is not found in the set, the method raises a KeyError exception.

Syntax​

my_set.remove(element)

remove() Parameters​

Python Set remove() function parameters:

ParameterConditionDescription
elementRequiredAn item you want to remove from the set

remove() Return Value​

Python Set remove() function does not return any value: it modifies the set in-place.

Examples​

Example 1: Remove an existing Element​

Let's remove an element from a non-empty set:

my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
my_set.remove(3)
print(my_set) # Output: {1, 2, 4, 5}

output

{1, 2, 4, 5}

Example 2: Remove an Element that Does Not Exist in the Set​

If specified item does not exist in a set, remove() method raises a KeyError exception.

my_set = {1, 2, 3, 4, 5}
my_set.remove(10) # raises KeyError

output

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 2, in <module>
    my_set.remove(10)
KeyError: 10

remove() method vs discard() method​

discard() and remove() methods work in the same way. The only difference is that the remove() method raises KeyError, if specified item does not exist in a set.

my_set = {'Tom', 'Ryan', 'David'}
my_set.remove('Anna') # raises KeyError: 'Anna'
print(my_set)

output

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 2, in <module>
    my_set.remove('Anna')
KeyError: 'Anna'

While discard() method does nothing.

my_set = {'Tom', 'Ryan', 'David'}
my_set.discard('Anna') # nothing happens
print(my_set) # Output: {'David', 'Tom', 'Ryan'}

output

{'David', 'Tom', 'Ryan'}

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