Python Program to Swap First Two Characters of Two Strings and Merge Them
Last updated 4 months ago | 197 views 75 5

String manipulation is an essential skill in Python programming, and today, we’ll explore a fun and creative problem!
✅ Problem Statement:
Given two strings, we will:
- Swap the first two characters of each string.
- Combine them into a single string, separated by a space.
Sounds interesting? Let’s dive right into the solution!
Python Solution
To achieve this, we will:
- Check if both strings have at least two characters.
- Swap the first two characters of both strings.
- Concatenate them with a space separator and return the result.
✅ Python Code Implementation
def swap_first_two_chars(str1, str2):
if len(str1) < 2 or len(str2) < 2:
return "Both strings must have at least two characters!"
swapped_str1 = str2[:2] + str1[2:] # Swap first 2 chars
swapped_str2 = str1[:2] + str2[2:]
return swapped_str1 + " " + swapped_str2 # Combine with space
# Example usage
print(swap_first_two_chars("hello", "world")) # Output: wello horld
print(swap_first_two_chars("abc", "xyz")) # Output: xyc abz
print(swap_first_two_chars("hi", "there")) # Output: th hiere
print(swap_first_two_chars("a", "bc")) # Output: Error message
How It Works?
Example 1: "hello" & "world"
- Swap first two characters: "he" ↔ "wo"
- New strings: "wello" & "horld"
- Final result: "wello horld"
Example 2: "abc" & "xyz"
- Swap "ab" ↔ "xy"
- New strings: "xyc" & "abz"
- Final result: "xyc abz"
Edge Cases Handled
✅ If a string has less than two characters, the function returns an error message.
Why Use This Approach?
✅ Simple & Efficient – Uses Python string slicing for quick manipulation.
✅ Handles Edge Cases – Ensures valid input before swapping.
✅ Great for Practice – Enhances understanding of string indexing & concatenation.
This technique is a great way to sharpen your Python skills while having fun with strings! Try it out and experiment with different inputs!