sort() vs sorted()

Question

sort() vs sorted()

Accepted Answer

list.sort() sorts the list in place and returns None - a common gotcha is writing 'a = a.sort()' which sets a to None. sorted() accepts any iterable and always returns a new sorted list, leaving the original unchanged. Use sort() when you want to modify the list and don't need the original order; use sorted() when you need both or when working with other iterables like tuples.