Swift: How to append elements to an array

Using the append(_:) method

Appending elements to an array means adding new elements at the end of the array. You can do that in Swift by using the append(_:) method. Note that this method changes the original array and does not return anything.

Example:

var words = ["Sling", "Academy"]
words.append("Swift")
print("words: \(words)")

Output:

words: ["Sling", "Academy", "Swift"]

You can also use the append(_:) method to append another array to a given array like so:

var arr1 = [1, 2, 3]
var arr2 = [4, 5, 6]

arr1.append(contentsOf: arr2)
print(arr1)

Output:

[1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]

Note that the second array must have the same data type as the first array.

Using the += operator

An alternative option for appending elements to an existing Swift array is to use the += operator.

Example:

var animals = ["dog", "cat", "bird", "fish"]

// append a single element
animals += ["horse"]

// append an array/multiple elements
animals += ["horse", "cow", "pig"]
print(animals)

Output:

["dog", "cat", "bird", "fish", "horse", "horse", "cow", "pig"]

This approach and the previous one are both convenient and intuitive. Just choose the one you like to go with. This tutorial ends here. Happy coding and have a nice day!