How to Assign Numbers to Words in Python

In the world of data analysis and Natural Language Processing (NLP), it’s often necessary to assign numerical values to words. This can simplify text processing, or aid in creating machine learning algorithms.

Python, an easy-to-understand yet versatile language, provides an excellent platform to achieve this. We can harness its powerful libraries and inbuilt functions to convert words into numbers with considerable ease.

In this tutorial, we will take you through the steps of converting words into numbers using Python.

Step 1: Install the Necessary Libraries

To get started, you’ll need to have Python installed on your system, along with the NumPy and pandas libraries. Both can be installed via pip:

1
pip install numpy pandas

Step 2: Import the Libraries

From the Python terminal, import the libraries with the following code snippet.

1
2
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd

Step 3: Assign a List of Words

For the purpose of this tutorial, we’ll create a simple list of words to assign numerical values. We use pandas to create a DataFrame for storing these words.

1
2
words = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry', 'Date', 'Elderberry']
df = pd.DataFrame(words, columns=['Fruit'])

Step 4: Assign Numbers to Words

We will use the factorize() method from pandas to assign numbers to our words. This method sorts the unique values and assigns an integer to each.

1
df['Number'] = pd.factorize(df['Fruit'])[0]

Step 5: Display the Result

We can now view our DataFrame, to see the numerical assignments.

1
print(df)
1
2
3
4
5
6
Fruit  Number
0      Apple       0
1     Banana       1
2     Cherry       2
3       Date       3
4  Elderberry      4

Final Python Code:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
import numpy as np
import pandas as pd
 
words = ['Apple', 'Banana', 'Cherry', 'Date', 'Elderberry']
df = pd.DataFrame(words, columns=['Fruit'])
 
df['Number'] = pd.factorize(df['Fruit'])[0]
 
print(df)

Conclusion:

In essence, Python provides the necessary tools such as the NumPy and pandas libraries to effectively and efficiently convert words to numeric values. Assigning numbers to words is extremely beneficial, and is a commonly used methodology in fields like Data Analysis and Natural Language Processing (NLP). With this tutorial, you now have the basic knowledge to start converting words into numeric values using Python.