Syntaxerror: invalid syntax (A Troubleshooting Guide)

Syntaxerror: invalid syntax is a common error while running your code in Python.

But how does this error occur in your code and how to fix it?

In this article, we’ll explore the solutions for syntaxerror invalid syntax.

You will also learn the root causes of this error and how you will fix it.

What is a SyntaxError in Python?

The syntax is the arrangement of code in a programming language.

However, a SyntaxError, in general, is the most common error encountered in programming.

It is a violation of the syntax rules in a programming language.

It occurs when the interpreter encounters a code that violates the rules and is unable to understand by the interpreter because it does not follow the rules of the Python language.

In simple words, SyntaxError happens when the Python interpreter does not understand the syntax.

Syntax errors are usually caused by mistakes in the code’s syntax, such as:

✔ Misspelled keywords

✔ Incorrect indentation

✔ Missing punctuation

Moreover, Syntax errors are raised when a programmer or developer violates the language’s grammatical and structural norms.

All programming languages have syntax errors. However, they vary depending on the structure and rules of the language.

What is “SyntaxError: invalid syntax”?

The syntaxerror: invalid syntax occurs when there is a problem with the syntax or the structure and grammar of the Python code.

This error message invalid syntax in Python indicates the interpreter encountered some code that it cannot understand because it does not follow the rules of the Python language.

It is a specific type of SyntaxError in Python.

Why does “SyntaxError invalid syntax occurs in Python”?

Here are the common causes of Python syntaxerror invalid syntax that keeps on bothering you which include the following:

❌ Invalid function definitions or calls.
❌ Invalid variable declarations.
❌ Invalid usage of blocks, for instance (if-else, loops).
❌ Missing required spaces.
❌ Missing operators.
❌ Missing punctuations like missing a colon (:) at the end of a line.
❌ Misspelled or missing keywords or mistyping syntax.
❌ Missing opening or closing parentheses (), brackets [], braces {}, or quotes (“”).
❌ Misspelled reserved keywords and tried to use reserved keywords as a variable name.
❌ The invalid indention in your code or other whitespace errors.

What are the most common SyntaxError in Python?

In this section, you’ll see different common syntaxerror invalid syntax when you are using Python.

1. Missing punctuation error

This error message brings confusion to new programmers or developers. As you can see below, the error message usually refers to the line that comes after the actual error.

For example:

data = {
    'Caren': 22,
    'Carla': 23
    'Charlz': 24
}
print(f'Caren is {data["Caren"]} years old.')

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 3
    'Carla': 23
             ^^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax.Perhaps you forgot a comma?

As you can see, the missing punctuation is a comma (,) on the second line of the definition that will raise the following error:

To fix this error, we have to put the missing punctuation, which is the comma.

Corrected code:

✅ data = {
    'Caren': 22,
    'Carla': 23,
    'Charlz': 24
}
print(f'Caren is {data["Caren"]} years old.')

Output:

Caren is 22 years old.

2. Missing parenthesis, quotes, and brackets

Example code of missing parenthesis:

website = "Itsourcecode"
print "Hi welcome to, " + website + "!"

The code is missing the opening and closing parenthesis for the print() function.

Parentheses in Python are required when calling a function, even if there are no arguments.

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 2
    print "Hi welcome to, " + website + "!"
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
SyntaxError: Missing parentheses in call to 'print'. Did you mean print(...)?

This error is easy to fix. You just have to put the parentheses in the print function to solve the issue.

Corrected code:

✅ website = "Itsourcecode"
print ("Hi welcome to, " + website + "!")

Output:

Hi welcome to, Itsourcecode!

Example code of missing quotes:

website = Itsourcecode!
print(website )

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 1
    website = Itsourcecode!
                          ^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

Corrected code:

✅ website = "Itsourcecode!"
print(website )

Output:

Itsourcecode!

Example code of missing brackets:

def data():
    return [10, 20, 30, 40, 50

print(data())

The code is missing the closing square bracket ] in the numbers variable declaration.

The square brackets [] are used to define a list in Python, and every opening bracket should have a corresponding closing bracket.

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 2
    return [10, 20, 30, 40, 50
           ^
SyntaxError: '[' was never closed

Corrected code:

✅ def data():
    return [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]

print(data())

Output:

[10, 20, 30, 40, 50]

3. Misspelling keywords

Example keywords in Python:

✔ for

✔ while

✔ range

✔ break

✔ continue

A simple misspelling or typo in your code can interrupt your running.

For example:

for  in range(1, 5):
    print(i)

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 1
    for  in range(1, 5):
         ^^
SyntaxError: invalid syntax

This error is frequent when you are writing your code quickly. So you have to be careful every time you are typing your code.

Corrected code:

✅ for i in range(1, 5):
    print(i)

Output:

1
2
3
4

4. Misuse of Keywords

For example:

x = 5
if x > 0:
    break

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 3
    break
    ^^^^^
SyntaxError: 'break' outside loop

The break keyword In Python is used to end the loop. So, with that in mind, the break keyword will not be allowed to be used outside of a loop.

Corrected code:

✅ x = 100
while True:
    if x > 0:
        print("x is greater than 0")
        break

x is greater than 0

5. Indentation errors

For example:

def calculate_sum(x, y):
result = x + y
return result

print(calculate_sum(10, 50))

Output:

C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py 
  File "C:\Users\pies-pc2\PycharmProjects\pythonProject\main.py", line 2
    result = x + y
    ^
IndentationError: expected an indented block after function definition on line 1

As you can see in our example code, it has indentation errors within the function definition and the return statement.

Proper indentation is crucial for defining blocks of code in Python, just like functions and loops.

Corrected code:

✅  def calculate_sum(x, y):
    result = x + y
    return result

print(calculate_sum(10, 50))

Output:

60

How to fix “SyntaxError: invalid syntax”?

To fix the SyntaxError: invalid syntax, you have to analyze the code at the indicated line and position and correct any syntax mistakes that you will find.

Here are the things that will help you to fix this error right away.

1. Narrowing down the problem.
2. Note the line number and error message from the traceback.
3. Read the above list of common causes of this error
4. Check for syntax mistakes
5. Remove or correct blocks of your code that you think are the reason for the error.

Note: SyntaxError: invalid syntax is easier to fix when you already distinguish which and what are the common causes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the syntaxerror: invalid syntax occurs when there is a problem with the syntax or the structure and grammar of the Python code.

This error message invalid syntax in Python indicates the interpreter encountered some code that it cannot understand because it does not follow the rules of the Python language.

This article discusses what this error is all about and already provides different solutions to help you fix this error.

We are hoping that this article helps you fix the error. Thank you for reading itsourcecoders 😊