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TypeError: 'int' object is not subscriptable

What it means

You used square brackets on a number, as if it were a list or a string. Square brackets pick items out of a sequence, and a number like 42 has no items to pick.

1. Indexing a number to get one of its digits

This raises the error

Broken
num = 4721
first_digit = num[0]
print(first_digit)
Output
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<exec>", line 2, in <module>
TypeError: 'int' object is not subscriptable

The fix

Fixed
num = 4721
first_digit = str(num)[0] # a string has characters you can index
print(first_digit)
Output
4

Turning the number into a string with str() gives you characters you can index. Convert back with int() if you need a number.

Try fixing it yourself in the editor

2. A variable that holds a number, not the list you expected

This raises the error

Broken
scores = [80, 92, 75]
total = 0
for scores in scores: # the loop variable replaces the list
total += scores
print(scores[0])
Output
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<exec>", line 5, in <module>
TypeError: 'int' object is not subscriptable

The fix

Fixed
scores = [80, 92, 75]
total = 0
for score in scores: # a different name keeps the list
total += score
print(scores[0], total)
Output
80 247

Reusing the list's name for the loop variable overwrote the list with its last number. A separate loop variable name keeps both.

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3. Indexing one level too deep into a dictionary

This raises the error

Broken
student = {"name": "Ada", "score": 91}
print(student["score"][0])
Output
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<exec>", line 2, in <module>
TypeError: 'int' object is not subscriptable

The fix

Fixed
student = {"name": "Ada", "score": 91}
print(student["score"])
Output
91

student["score"] is already the number 91. Index again only when the value is itself a list, a string or a dictionary.

Try fixing it yourself in the editor

When you see this error, check

  • Print the variable and its type() just before the failing line.
  • Look for a loop or assignment that reused the variable name.
  • To get digits, use str(num)[i], or num // 10 ** i % 10 to stay with numbers.
  • With nested data, print each level to see where the numbers start.

Related errors

All Python errors · How to read a traceback · Step through your code