.lower()

Takes a string, and returns a copy of that string in which all letters are lowercase. Numbers and symbols are not changed.

string.lower()

The .lower() method can be used to compare strings:

string1 = "Red Pandas"
string2 = "rEd pAnDaS"

if string1 == string2:
  print("These strings are already the same")
elif string1.lower() == string2.lower():
  print("They are the same when you use the .lower() method")
else:
  print("They are NOT the same")

# Output: They are the same when you use .lower()

The .lower() method can be used to standardize text that might take different forms, such as user input or the response to an API call:

name = input("What is your name?")
# User writes their name...

if name.lower() == "codey":
  print("Your name is Codey!")
else:
  print("Your name is not Codey.")

This would print Your name is Codey! whether the user typed in Codey, codey, CODEY, or CoDeY.

The .lower() method does not change the string it is used on:

my_string = "AMAZING!"

if my_string.lower() == "amazing!":
  print("Isn't that just " + my_string)

# Output: "Isn't that just AMAZING!""