Python: Display Words with Length Greater than 5 (Solved)

Practice Question 10

In this question, we will learn how to write a function that reads a text file and extracts only the “Long Words”—specifically those that have more than 5 characters.

The Logic (How it works)

Before writing the code, let us first understand the logic behind the solution.

This logic follows a simple “Scan and Filter” approach:

• Read and Split: We open notes.txt and use .split() to get a clean list of words.

• The Length Check: We iterate through the list using a for loop.

• The Condition: For every word, we use len(word) to count its characters.

• The Threshold: If the length is greater than 5 (> 5), we print it. If it is 5 or less, we simply ignore it and move to the next word.

Let’s Code as per the above logic :

def displayLongWords():
    f = open("notes.txt", "r")
    data = f.read()
    wordlist = data.split()
    
    print("Words with length greater than 5:")
    for word in wordlist:
        # Check if the character count is more than 5
        if len(word) > 5:
            print(word)
            
    f.close()

# To call the function:
displayLongWords()

Important Notes for Students

Keep these tips in mind to ensure you get full marks for logic and presentation:

1. The Difference between > and >=: Read the question carefully! If it says “5 or more,” use len(word) >= 5. If it says “greater than 5,” use len(word) > 5.

2. Output Formatting: Using print(word) will list them one below the other. If you want them on a single line, use print(word, end=" ").

3. The split() Advantage: Using split() is better than reading line by line here because it handles cases where multiple long words are on the same line separated by spaces.

Teacher’s Secret Tip for Exams:

If the examiner asks you to display words shorter than 5 characters, simply change the condition from > 5 to < 5. The rest of the program will remain exactly the same.

If the examiner asks you to count long words instead of displaying them, just add a counter variable and increase it whenever len(word) > 5 is true.

If the examiner asks you to store the long words in a new file, you can collect them in a list and then write them to a file using .join().

This is a “Template Logic.” You can use this exact structure to solve many other questions.

• Want words starting with ‘S’? Change the condition to if word[0] == 'S':.

• Want words ending with ‘ing’? Change it to if word.endswith('ing'):

Want to practice more? If you found this helpful, I have compiled a full list of 30 practice problems just like this one. Each question focuses on a different logic to help you become a pro at File Handling.

Click here to view the full 30-Question Practice Set

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