Install FastText in Python Step by Step

FastText is a library for text classification and word embeddings. It is developed by Facebook. This guide will help you install FastText in Python easily.

Prerequisites

Before installing FastText, ensure you have Python installed. You also need pip, the Python package manager.

Check your Python version with:

 
import sys
print(sys.version)

3.8.5 (default, Jan 27 2021, 15:41:15)

Install FastText Using pip

The easiest way to install FastText is using pip. Open your terminal and run:

pip install fasttext

Wait for the installation to complete. If successful, you will see a confirmation message.

Verify Installation

To ensure FastText is installed, run:

 
import fasttext
print(fasttext.__version__)

0.9.2

If you see the version number, FastText is installed correctly.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Sometimes, you may encounter errors. One common issue is ModuleNotFoundError.

If you see ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'fasttext', check our guide on how to solve ModuleNotFoundError.

Using FastText for Word Embeddings

Once installed, you can use FastText for word embeddings. Here’s a simple example:

 
import fasttext

# Train a simple model
model = fasttext.train_unsupervised('data.txt')
print(model.get_word_vector("hello"))

[0.1, 0.2, 0.3, ...]

This code trains a model and retrieves the word vector for "hello".

Conclusion

Installing FastText in Python is simple with pip. Verify the installation and start using it for text tasks. If issues arise, refer to troubleshooting guides.

FastText is powerful for NLP. Try it for your next text classification or word embedding project.