In Python, a “Typeerror” occurs when you use different data types in an operation.
For example, if you attempt to divide an integer (number) by a string, it leads to a typeerror because an integer data type is not the same as a string.
One of those type errors is the “int object is not callable” error.
The “int object is not callable” error occurs when you declare a variable and name it with a built-in function name such as int(), sum(), max(), and others.
The error also occurs when you don’t specify an arithmetic operator while performing a mathematical operation.
In this article, I will show you how the error occurs and what you can do to fix it.
How to Fix Typeerror: int object is not callable in Built-in Function Names
If you use a built-in function name as a variable and call it as a function, you’ll get the “int object is not callable” error.
For instance, the code below attempts to calculate the total ages of some kids with the built-in sum() function of Python. The code resulted in an error because the same sum has already been used as a variable name:
kid_ages = [2, 7, 5, 6, 3]
sum = 0
sum = sum(kid_ages)
print(sum)
Another example below shows how I tried to get the oldest within those kids with the max() function, but I had declared a max variable already:
kid_ages = [2, 7, 5, 6, 3]
max = 0
max = max(kid_ages)
print(max)
Both code examples led to this error in the terminal:
To fix the issue, you need to change the name of the variable you named as a built-in function so the code can run successfully:
kid_ages = [2, 7, 5, 6, 3]
sum_of_ages = 0
sum = sum(kid_ages)
print(sum)
# Output: 23
kid_ages = [2, 7, 5, 6, 3]
max_of_ages = 0
max = max(kid_ages)
print(max)
# Output: 7
If you get rid of the custom variables, your code will still run as expected:
kid_ages = [2, 7, 5, 6, 3]
sum = sum(kid_ages)
print(sum)
# Output: 23
kid_ages = [2, 7, 5, 6, 3]
max = max(kid_ages)
print(max)
# Output: 7
How to Fix Typeerror: int object is not callable in Mathematical Calculations
In Mathematics, if you do something like 4(2+3), you’ll get the right answer which is 20. But in Python, this would lead to the Typeerror: int object is not callable error.
To fix this error, you need to let Python know you want to multiply the number outside the parentheses with the sum of the numbers inside the parentheses.
To do this, you do this by specifying a multiplication sign (*) before the opening parenthesis:
print(4*(2+3))
#Output: 20
Python allows you to specify any arithmetic sign before the opening parenthesis.
So, you can perform other calculations there too:
print(4+(2+3))
# Output: 9
print(4-(2+3))
# Output: -1
print(4/(2+3))
# Output: 0.8
Final Thoughts
The Typeerror: int object is not callable is a beginner error in Python you can avoid in a straightforward way.
As shown in this article, you can avoid the error by not using a built-in function name as a variable identifier and specifying arithmetic signs where necessary.
Thank you for reading.