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To accept integer values while rejecting booleans, use isinstance(value, int) and not isinstance(value, bool). Use type(value) is int only when you want to accept the exact built-in int type and exclude its subclasses too. The right check depends on whether your code cares about subclass membership, exact type identity, or support for Python’s integer-index protocol.

How do I check if a variable is an integer in Python?

For most checks that should accept integer subclasses but not True or False, write:

is_integer = isinstance(value, int) and not isinstance(value, bool)

Python’s standard types documentation defines bool as a subclass of int. That means isinstance(True, int) and isinstance(False, int) both return True. The additional boolean check excludes them while leaving other subclasses of int eligible.

Which integer check should I use?

Choose based on what your code needs to establish. These checks are not interchangeable:

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Check Accepts bool? Accepts other int subclasses? What it establishes
isinstance(value, int) Yes Yes The value is an instance of int or a subclass.
isinstance(value, int) and not isinstance(value, bool) No Yes The value is an int instance or subclass, but not a boolean.
type(value) is int No No The value’s type is exactly the built-in int.
operator.index(value) It is a protocol conversion, not a boolean-excluding type check. Accepts objects implementing the index protocol. The object can provide a lossless integer-index value.

isinstance checks whether an object belongs to a type or its subclasses, as described in the Python built-in functions documentation. Use the explicit boolean exclusion if your policy is “integer, but not a boolean.”

Why does isinstance(True, int) return True?

Because bool inherits from int. Booleans behave like the integer values 0 and 1 in many numeric contexts, though they remain a distinct type. The official PEP 285, “Adding a bool type,” explains the compatibility rationale: “Because bool inherits from int, True+1 is valid and equals 2, and so on.”

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This inheritance is why a plain isinstance(value, int) test counts booleans. If booleans are invalid for your use case, exclude them explicitly rather than assuming that the integer check does so.

When should I use type(value) is int?

Use this form when your rule specifically requires the exact built-in type:

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is_exact_builtin_int = type(value) is int

It rejects both booleans and custom subclasses of int. That strictness can be appropriate when a program depends on the exact built-in type, but it is unnecessarily restrictive if subclasses should count as integers.

When is operator.index the right choice?

If you need an object that supports lossless integer indexing—not necessarily an object whose type is int—use operator.index and handle TypeError when the object does not implement that protocol:

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import operator

try:
    index_value = operator.index(value)
except TypeError:
    # value does not support the integer-index protocol
    pass

Python’s data model documentation for __index__ describes this method as the route for lossless integer conversion, including operations such as indexing and the built-ins bin, hex, and oct. This is a protocol conversion, not a test that the original object is exactly a built-in int.

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Why not use int(value) as a type check?

int(value) attempts a conversion. Successful conversion does not prove that the original value was an int instance. Use isinstance or exact type identity to ask about type membership; use operator.index when your operation specifically requires the integer-index protocol.

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