How to fix TypeError: 'float' object is not callable in Python

One error that you might encounter when working with Python is:

TypeError: 'float' object is not callable

This error occurs when you mistakenly call a float object as if it was a function.

The following code is an example that causes this error:

5.555()

There are three possible scenarios that cause this error:

1. You attempt to multiply a float without adding the * operator
2. You override the float() function with a float object
3. You have a function and a float variable with the same name

This tutorial shows how to reproduce the error in each scenario and how to fix it.

1. You attempt to multiply a float without adding the * operator

First, you declared a simple float variable as follows:

my_float = 7.2

Next, you attempt to multiply the float variable with a number acquired from math operations as follows:

x = my_float(5 - 2)

Output:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "main.py", line 3, in <module>
    x = my_float(5 - 2)
        ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: 'float' object is not callable

The error occurs because you’re adding parentheses next to a float object.

While the above is a valid multiplication formula in real life, this makes Python thinks you’re trying to call a function named my_float() instead of trying to do a multiplication.

To resolve this error, you need to make sure that you’re not adding parentheses next to a float object.

Since you want to multiply the variable, add the multiplication operator * as follows:

my_float = 7.2

x = my_float * (5 - 2)

print(x)  # 21.6

This time, the multiplication succeeds and we didn’t receive an error.

2. You override the float() function with a float object

The built-in function named float() is used to convert an object of another type into a float object.

For example, here’s how to convert a string into a float:

my_string = "7.55"

my_float = float(my_string)
print(my_float)  # 7.55

If you mistakenly create a variable named float, then the float() function would be overwritten.

When you call the float() function, the error would occur as follows:

float = 3.45

another_float = float("7.55")

Output:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/main.py", line 3, in <module>
    another_float = float("7.55")
                    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: 'float' object is not callable

Because you created a variable named float, the float() function gets replaced with that variable, causing you to call a float object instead of the built-in function.

To avoid this error, you need to declare the variable using another name:

my_float = 3.45  # ✅

another_float = float("7.55")

This way, the keyword float would still point to the float function, and the error won’t be raised.

You have a function and a float variable with the same name

Suppose you have a function named get_name() that returns a string as follows:

def get_name():
    return "Nathan"

Then down the line, you declared a variable using get_name as the identifier:

get_name = 7.67

This cause the get_name variable to shadow the get_name() function. When you try to call the function, Python thinks you’re calling the variable instead:

def get_name():
    return "Nathan"

get_name = 7.67

res = get_name()  # TypeError: 'float' object is not callable

To resolve this error, make sure that there’s no duplicate name in your source code.

Each function and variable must have a unique name:

def get_name():
    return "Nathan"

x = 7.67

res = get_name()  # ✅

Now that the name for the function and the variable are unique, we didn’t receive any error.

Conclusion

The TypeError: 'float' object is not callable occurs in Python when you call a float object using parentheses like it’s a function.

To resolve this error, you need to make sure that you’re not calling a float object in your source code.

I hope this tutorial helps. Happy coding!