Character Classification (Digit / Alpha / Special)

Classify a single character as a digit, alphabet, or special character.

PythonBeginner

What You'll Learn

  • Using isdigit() and isalpha()
  • Designing a multi-way classification
  • Validating single-character input
Python
# Program to classify a character as digit, alphabet, or special character

ch = input("Enter a single character: ")

if len(ch) != 1:
    print("Please enter exactly one character.")
else:
    if ch.isdigit():
        print(ch, "is a digit")
    elif ch.isalpha():
        print(ch, "is an alphabet")
    else:
        print(ch, "is a special character")

Output

Enter a single character: @
@ is a special character

We use built-in string methods:

  • .isdigit() → checks if all characters are digits.
  • .isalpha() → checks if all characters are letters.

If the input is not a digit and not a letter, we treat it as a special character (punctuation, symbol, etc.).

Step-by-Step Breakdown

  1. 1Read a character from the user.
  2. 2Ensure there is exactly one character.
  3. 3Use isdigit() to detect digits.
  4. 4Use isalpha() to detect letters.
  5. 5Otherwise, label it as a special character.