So you've been learning Python for a while now. But you're still thinking about how you can apply what you know and hone your Python skills. And like every achiever, you want to show off something you've built with what you've learned so far.

Of course, practical learning is one of the best ways you can become a better programmer. And there are many beginner Python projects you can embark on to increase your confidence, starting with simple games, quizzes, authentication scripts, and more.

So here are some of the best Python project ideas you should consider as a beginner.

1. Login System

A login system is one of the most basic but impactful projects you can take on if you're interested in web development.

A unique way to approach this is to write users' input into a text file (registration) and validate those inputs during login.

It's pretty similar to how you register and submit your data into a software's database to gain authenticated access to use it.

Additionally, it exposes you to the concepts of conditional statements, exception handling, loops, and file handling in Python. One challenge you may face with this project is how to remove duplicates in your data.

Invariably you need to manipulate your code to reject usernames that are already in your text file. Then match users' passwords with their usernames during login.

Thankfully, you don't need any web framework for this project. You can write your code in any text editor and execute it via the command line.

2. Tic-Tac-Toe

Self-coding the famous paper and pencil tic-tac-toe with Python has gained popularity. So this should be an easy ride.

Tic-tac-toe is a squared (usually a 3 X 3) matrix game played by two players. Both of them are in a war of attrition, looking to take over three boxes in a row with their marks (usually an "X" for a player and an "O" for the other).

The first player to fill three boxes in a row in any meaningful direction wins. And, of course, the other loses. You can also set up some neural network variations so people can play against the computer.

This is a great angle to explore if you're interested in board game development with a bit of artificial intelligence and machine learning.

With Python modules like pygame and tkinter, you can even make your tic-tac-toe app more graphically pleasing.

3. Build a Quiz App With Python

Coding and running a multiple-choice app via your command line shows that you can use what you've learned to build something pretty basic and usable.

Coding a multiple-choice quiz with Python not only exposes you to how a typical quiz app works, but you'll also get used to some of the core concepts of Python programming.

As with other beginners project on the list, a basic understanding of Python loops, functions, conditions, object-oriented programming, and how arrays work in Python is all you need for this.

To simplify the development cycle, however, some questions should come to your mind:

  • How will you display your questions?
  • How can users input their answers?
  • How do you intend to specify the correct options while inputting questions?
  • How about adding up scores for every correct answer?

Once you answer those questions, you're good to go.

4. Make a Desktop GUI Calculator

If you're interested in building desktop applications with Python, starting with a Graphic User Interface (GUI) calculator isn't a bad idea.

Although this may sound a little advanced, the path is smooth once you get started.

Creating a GUI calculator helps you wrap your head around Python's GUI modules like tkinter, PyQT, Pyforms, and Kivy among others.

You can use separate functions to handle the calculations, and then code the user interface using any GUI module. The tkinter library, however, is more beginner-friendly.

Tkinter has a built-in event button handler that takes external functions as arguments. So you can call your calculation functions while designing your interface to make them work with the GUI.

5. Automate Excel Operations With Python

Whether you're a VBA expert or you often run date-time conversions, you can leverage the flexibility of Python for creativity using Vlookup and Excel.

Automating Excel tasks with Python is pretty handy if you want to dive into data science or statistical analysis with Python.

This project teaches you how to manipulate data and work with data science libraries like pandas, numpy, and matplotlib.

Related: How to Import Excel Data Into Python Scripts Using Pandas

For instance, you can develop a Python program for cleaning poorly formatted data or code a project for automating VBA and charts.

6. Make a Snake Game

Game development sometimes seems like a mystery. But Python's influence in the game industry is also significant. And getting your hands dirty with a snake game is worth trying if you want to get started creating games with Python.

Although this might be challenging at first, you'll get a better hang of it once you get started.

And if you decide to dive deeper, it allows you to explore the functionalities of Python game libraries like pygame, pyglet, pykyra, and kivy, among others.

To execute this, however, you can use the popular turtle or pygame library.

7. Create a Simple Chatbot With Python

Many tech companies now improve customers' satisfaction through artificial intelligence. Sometimes, they achieve this by incorporating a chatbot that chats naturally with you when you visit their web page.

Natural language processing (NLP) is one of the strengths of Python, and if you're passionate about deep learning with neural networks and AI, this area should interest you.

A chatbot is an AI that responds like a human whenever you visit a website. While you may not need to set yours up on the web yet, creating a command-line chatbot is a gateway for further creative exploration.

Related: How to Build Social Media Bots With Python

To get started, you can take a look at the documentation of NLTK (Natural Language Toolkit), a Python library used for intelligent word processing.

You also need to have a basic knowledge of string and dictionary handling in Python.

8. Make a URL Shortener With Python

Here's something for lovers of bitly. A URL shortener is one of the easiest projects you can start with as a Python beginner.

You can use Python libraries like pyshorteners to execute your project. Bitly even provides an API that allows you to create a customized URL shortener with Python. That's a great way to start with APIs.

And if you want to challenge yourself on how things work behind the scene, you can craft a self-made algorithm for the URL shortener.

9. Build a Web Scraper

Whether for monitoring market trends or consumer behavior, web scraping is a plus if you want to explore the power of Python in business analytics.

Related: What Is Web Scraping? How to Collect Data From Websites

Web scraping is a valuable business intelligence tool used by modern companies to get decision-making data from various web pages. You can write scripts for gathering specific information and then store it in a CSV or an Excel file.

Building a web scraper with Python offers you the opportunity to learn how web crawlers work in real-life applications. You can start a web scraping project with Python's beautifulsoup library.

And you can build a full-blown web crawler using the scrapy framework as well.

10. Unit Converter

Are you inclined towards computational programming? If so, creating a Python object featuring functions loaded with unit conversion algorithms is an insightful pathway.

Once you know the mathematical equation for converting a unit, writing your code is easy.

To make your program work for many units, you might want to create conditions for validating users' choices. An ideal way to achieve this is to handle each conversion with separate functions.

You can then call each function based on conditions (depending on a user's choice) from a parent function. And, of course, you can run your conversion code via the CMD.

Here's an idea:

        def celciusToFar(option=None):
if type(option)== int or float:
option = (option * 9/5) + 32
print(option,"F")
else:
return "Conversion error"

def farToCelcius(option=None):
if type(option)== int or float:
option = (option - 32) * 5/9
print(option,"C")
else:
return "Conversion error"

def masterFunc(number=None, options=None): #Create a master function to validate users' choice with conditions
options = input("C to F | F to C: ")
if options == "C to F":
number = float(input("Type number to convert: "))
if type(number)==int or float:
return celciusToFar(number)
else:
return "Invalid operation"
elif options == "F to C":
number = float(input("Type number to convert: "))
return farToCelcius(number)
else:
return "Conversion fails"
masterFunc()

Projects Help You in Many Ways

Beyond knowing the regular expressions of Python, dedicating your time to create something with it lets you know how to apply what you've learned.

You can put up projects you've done on GitHub to showcase your portfolio. Additionally, projects help you learn more about the development life-cycle in programming, starting from initiation and testing to production and implementation.