Single Vs Double Quotes in Python Json

Last Updated : 9 Dec, 2025

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format widely used for data storage and exchange between web servers and clients. In Python, dealing with JSON is a common task, and one of the decisions developers face is whether to use single or double quotes for string representation within JSON objects. In this article, we'll explore the differences between single and double quotes in JSON in Python with some examples.

Single Vs Double Quotes In Json

Below, are the examples that show Single vs. double Quotes In JSON in Python.

Basic JSON Structure

Let's start with a basic JSON structure using double quotes:

Python 
import json

# Valid JSON must use double quotes
json_data_double = '{"name": "John", "age": 25, "city": "New York"}'
parsed_double = json.loads(json_data_double)

print("Using double quotes:")
print(parsed_double)

Output
Using double quotes:
{'name': 'John', 'age': 25, 'city': 'New York'}

Mixing Single and Double Quotes

In some cases, you might need to mix single and double quotes within a JSON structure. Python allows for this flexibility:

Python 
import json

# This is a Python dictionary (not JSON yet)
mixed_quotes_data = {
    'name': "John",
    "age": 30,
    'city': "New York",
    "is_student": False,
    "grades": {
        "math": 95,
        'history': 87,
        "english": 92
    }
}

# Convert Python dict to valid JSON
json_data = json.dumps(mixed_quotes_data, indent=2)

print(json_data)

Output
{
  "name": "John",
  "age": 30,
  "city": "New York",
  "is_student": false,
  "grades": {
    "math": 95,
    "history": 87,
    "english": 92
  }
}

Python gracefully handles the mix of single and double quotes, making it easy to work with JSON data.

Escape Characters

When working with special characters or escape sequences within JSON, the choice between single and double quotes can affect readability. Here's an example using escape characters with double quotes:

Python 
import json

# Valid JSON with escaped double quotes
json_data_escape = '{"message": "Hello, \\"World\\"!"}'
parsed_escape = json.loads(json_data_escape)

print("Using double quotes with escape characters:")
print(parsed_escape)

Output
Using double quotes with escape characters:
{'message': 'Hello, "World"!'}

And the same example using single quotes:

Python 
import json

# Python string wrapped in single quotes containing JSON with escaped double quotes
json_data_escape = '{"message": "Hello, \\"World\\"!"}'

parsed_escape = json.loads(json_data_escape)

print("\nUsing single quotes with escape characters:")
print(parsed_escape)

Output
Using single quotes with escape characters:
{'message': 'Hello, "World"!'}

In this case, the use of double quotes simplifies the representation of escape characters, enhancing readability.

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