In Python, you can add new items to a list using several built-in methods. Lists are mutable, which means you can change them by appending, inserting, or extending.

Visualizing the List Structure

Given:

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]

Index mapping:

Index:    0        1         2
Items:  "apple"  "banana"  "cherry"

1. append() – Add an Item to the End

The append() method adds a single item at the end of the list.

Example:

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
fruits.append("orange")
print(fruits)

Output:

['apple', 'banana', 'cherry', 'orange']

 append() does not insert into a specific position.

2. insert() – Add an Item at a Specific Position

The insert(index, item) method allows you to insert an item at any index.

Example:

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
fruits.insert(1, "mango")
print(fruits)

Output:

['apple', 'mango', 'banana', 'cherry']

Here, "mango" is inserted at index 1, shifting the other items forward.

3. extend() – Add Multiple Items from Another List

The extend() method adds each item from another iterable (like a list) to the end.

Example:

fruits = ["apple", "banana"]
tropical = ["pineapple", "papaya"]
fruits.extend(tropical)
print(fruits)

Output:

['apple', 'banana', 'pineapple', 'papaya']

extend() unpacks the iterable and adds each element.

4. Add Items Using + Operator (Concatenation)

You can also use + to merge two lists.

Example:

list1 = ["a", "b"]
list2 = ["c", "d"]
result = list1 + list2
print(result)

Output:

['a', 'b', 'c', 'd']

This creates a new list, it does not modify list1.

5. Add Items Using Loop

You can add items one by one using a loop and append().

Example:

numbers = []
for i in range(3):
   numbers.append(i)
print(numbers)

Output:

[0, 1, 2]

Negative Index Reminder (Doesn't Apply Here)

When adding, you cannot use negative indexes like -1 with insert() to put items at the end. Use append() instead.

Example:

fruits.insert(-1, "grape")
print(fruits)

May not behave as expected if you're thinking it adds to the end — it actually inserts before the last item.

Summary of Methods