3 easy coding languages to learn for beginners
Looking to get your start in programming? Here are three easy languages to start with, including where they excel, and pros and cons of using them.
Nov 21, 2025 • 11 Minute Read
When you’re new to coding, learning your first programming language can be difficult. Which language you choose to learn can make this process easier or harder. The good news? Once you learn how to program in one language, the fundamentals are transferrable, so it’s a lot easier to pick up the next one.
This also works in reverse: I was surprised to find on my own learning journey that when I learned a new language, it helped me better understand the ones I already knew. In the end, almost all programming languages are solving the same problems and are just going about it a little differently, so there’s often a great deal of overlap.
Whether you’re new to coding or not, in this article I’m going to cover the top three languages that are (relatively) easy to pick up.Â
1. Python
Is it any surprise Python’s at the top of the list? There are several reasons why Python is frequently considered the most beginner-friendly language.
Python reads almost like English
When you write Python code, you can often understand what it does just by reading it out loud. Take a look at this simple example:
name = "Maaike"
age = 25
if age >= 18:
print(f"Hello {name}, you are an adult!")
else:
print(f"Hello {name}, you are still a minor.")
Notice how natural this feels? And no, not the part where I claim to be 25.
Now, let’s look at the exact same script in C++ for comparison:
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
int main() {
std::string name = "Maaike";
int age = 25;
if (age >= 18) {
std::cout << "Hello " << name << ", you are an adult!" << std::endl;
} else {
std::cout << "Hello " << name << ", you are still a minor." << std::endl;
}
return 0;
}
It’s a script to do exactly the same thing, but this one is likely to strike anxiety into someone completely new to coding.
Python code is easier to format and write
In other languages, you often have to remember to format your code with semicolons, matching curly braces, use types to declare variables, and so on. Not so with Python! In fact, the one thing that Python does require is indentation, which actually makes your code more readable.
Pro tip: When programming in languages other than Python that don’t require indentation, such as JavaScript and Java, you should indent anyway. Why? Because it makes your code more readable, which is good for your own benefit and others.
Simplicity is part of Python's philosophy. It's captured in the famous phrase from the Zen of Python: "There should be one—and preferably only one—obvious way to do it."
Python has a very solid standard library
When you use a programming language, it comes with a standard library: a range of built in functionality and features that save you from having to make things yourself or install additional packages.
An example would be Print() from our script earlier, which is a built-in function you can call to print a message as output on a screen. Because someone has already written this function and included it in the standard library, we don’t have to make it ourselves.
Python has a lot of these built-in features you can use from the start. Want to work with dates? Files? Web requests? No problem, it's all ready to go. Here's an example of reading a file:
with open('myfile.txt', 'r') as file:
content = file.read()
print(content)
The with statement handles opening and closing the file for you automatically, which means fewer things for beginners to worry about, and less chance of making mistakes.
Python also has a wide range of extra packages
Python is well known for having an ecosystem of additional libraries you can install to get the functionality you want. Data science and machine learning have particularly embraced Python and added to it with popular libraries like pandas, NumPy, and TensorFlow. These libraries make complex operations surprisingly accessible to people with minimal math skills. A simple data analysis to calculate the average sales might look like this:
import pandas as pd
data = pd.read_csv('sales.csv')
average_sales = data['sales'].mean()
print(f"Average sales: ${average_sales:.2f}")
Python is incredibly versatile, and useful for beginners and professionals
With Python, you can do all sorts of things, like:
·       Build web applications using frameworks like Django or Flask
·       Automate all sorts of repeatable tasks with scripts
·       Analyze data and create data visualizations
·       Build machine learning models
·       Create games
·       Proogram robots
...And more! This means you won't outgrow Python as you advance. As indicated above, you can use it for a wide range of projects, whether you’re starting out or a seasoned professional.
The limitations of Python
Many people love Python, but like every programming language, it isn't perfect for every situation. Here are things you might want to consider before using Python for a project—
1. Python is an interpreted language, which means it can run slower
When you write code, you’re giving instructions to a machine. Rather than provide ones and zeroes, which would be impractical for a human, we use a programming language, but it needs to be translated into machine code at some point.
With an interpreted language like Python, this is done when the program runs. Because it’s being processed on the fly, the execution speed is lower than a compiled language like C++ or Java, which run faster because it does this step before execution.
For most beginners, this won’t matter at all. However, if you’re building application where performance matters a lot, such as a game that needs to run at 60 frames per second, Python might not be your best choice.
2. Python’s energy efficiency isn’t as good as other language
Studies have shown that Python programs can consume significantly more energy than equivalent programs in languages like C or Java. Again, this isn’t a concern for learning or small projects, because the difference is simply too small.
3. Python’s flexibility is also its weakness
Python is easy to get started with because of a feature called dynamic typing, where you don’t have to declare variables ahead of time. However, not doing this can lead to bugs that only appear when your code runs.
Want to start learning Python? Check out Pluralsight's Python 3 Learning path, which covers not only the fundamentals of python, but also advanced concepts such as object-orientated design and effective code organization. It includes hands-on learning labs and skill tests to measure your progress. Additionally, you can check out these free tutorials by Maaike van Putten:
2. JavaScript
JavaScript is another great language to start with, especially combined with HTML and CSS. These three things make up something you may be familiar with—the internet—but JavaScript has a lot of other uses as well.
Unlike Python, you need to type more characters with JavaScript. However, the benefit is that it doesn’t rely on indentation as much (though as mentioned earlier, you should still do this to make your code easy to understand.)
Why JavaScript is great for starters
I love to teach JavaScript (so much that I’ve written a book on it.) One of the reasons is it’s just so satisfying to work with. Every modern web browser can run JavaScript, so getting started with JavaScript means you can start creating interactive websites immediately, and see the results of your work in real time.
The best part? This works on any computer without installing anything special. This instant feedback is incredibly motivating for beginners.
Here's a simple example that adds interaction to a webpage:
// somewhere in a HTML file: <button id="myButton">Click me!</button>
const button = document.getElementById('myButton');
let clickCount = 0;
button.addEventListener('click', function() {
clickCount++;
button.textContent = `Clicked ${clickCount} times!`;
});
This will output the text “Clicked 66 times!” on a web page (assuming the button was clicked 66 times).
If you're completely new to all of this, the above might still look intimidating, but here's the good part: JavaScript's syntax is similar to many other popular languages (Java, C#, C++). So even though it's not looking as inviting as Python, learning it gives you a head start on those other languages too. The curly braces and semicolons might seem like extra work at first, but they make the code structure very clear.
Using JavaScript beyond websites
As mentioned earlier, when you combine HTML and CSS with JavaScript, you can create anything web-related (such as an interactive website.) However, some examples of other things you can use it for are:
·       Complex, single-age applications
·       Games that run in the browser
·       Mobile applications using frameworks like React Native
·       Desktop applications with Electron
With Node.js, you can use JavaScript on the server side, too. That means that you can create code that doesn't have to run inside the browser (E.g. APIs, other backend logic.)
The limitations of JavaScript
JavaScript has a lot of quirks compared to other languages
Personally, I really love JavaScript, and when you really love something, you should also love it’s quirks. While I do, JavaScript has a lot of them, and they’re a little harder to love when they’re running in production code.
One famous JS quirk is type coercion. It can lead to unexpected results that are especially hard for beginners. For example, '5' + 3Â gives you '53' (a string) while '5' - 3 gives you 2 (a number).
Debugging JavaScript can be a challenge
With JavaScript, errors appear at runtime, and the error messages you get aren't always helpful. You might write code that looks perfectly fine, but behaves strangely when you run it because of how JavaScript handles certain operations.
JavaScript code can have patchy browser compatibility
While modern browsers are much more consistent than they used to be, you might still find that code works perfectly in one browser but fails in another.
JavaScript can be a lot to keep up with
The JavaScript ecosystem moves incredibly fast, and learning all new frameworks and libraries is near impossible. While this energy and innovation is exciting and brings with it new features, it can also be overwhelming when you’re trying to figure out what to learn or keep up with changes.
Interested in learning JavaScript? Check out Pluralsight's comprehensive JavaScript Learning path, which takes you on a journey through fundamental JavaScript concepts all the way to advanced techniques used by expert practitioners, fully allowing you to take advance of this language's capabilities. It includes hands-on learning labs and skill tests to measure your progress.Â
3. Ruby
Ruby is sometimes described as a programmer's best friend. It was designed to make programmers happy, prioritize human readability and expressiveness over machine efficiency (Yes it's a little like Python.)
Ruby has incredibly clean and natural syntax
The language creator, Yukihiro Matsumoto, aimed to make Ruby feel like a natural language. Ruby code often reads like English sentences, which makes it easier for beginners to understand what's happening. Here is an example:
5.times do
puts "Hello you"
end
Notice how intuitive this is? You can literally say "5 times do" and then tell Ruby what to do. (In this case output the text "Hello you".) Everything in Ruby is an object, which provides a consistent way of thinking about your code. Even numbers are objects with methods you can call.
Ruby is wonderfully flexible
There are often multiple ways to accomplish the same thing, which means you can find an approach that makes sense to you. The language doesn't force you into rigid patterns and allows you to express your ideas in way that comes natural to you.
Ruby has many different uses (with some modifications)
Ruby is best known for web development, but you need an extension to make that work, called the Ruby on Rails framework. Rails changed the process of web development by emphasizing convention over configuration: this means that if you stick to set rules, you don't have to spend time on setup. However, you do need to spend time on getting to know the rules.
Outside of web development, Ruby is used a lot for all sorts of scripting and automation. It's great for writing tools that help with your development workflow, processing data, or automate any sort of repetitive tasks.
The limitations of Ruby
Ruby's main weakness is performance. It's one of the slower languages. I'd argue this matters less than you might think for most applications, but can be a limitation for any sort of high performance scenario. If you're building a system that needs to handle thousands of requests per second or process massive amounts of data quickly, Ruby might not be the one for you.
The Ruby community is in my experience as friendly and loving as the free nature of the language, but it is smaller than it was at its peak (and really can't be compared to Python's current community). And that also means fewer job opportunities compared to JavaScript or Python, and also fewer up-to-date learning resources. However, it is great for learning how to code as a gateway language.
Ruby's flexibility is a great thing, but can also be a disadvantage. There are multiple ways to do things and that's why reading other people's Ruby code can sometimes be challenging because everyone has their own style. The language's "magic" (things that happen automatically behind the scenes) can make it harder to understand what's really going on.
Want to get started with Ruby? Check out Pluralsight's Ruby and Ruby on Rails learning paths, which cover entry-level to practitioner and advanced concepts. Afterward, you'll know how to use Ruby for web applications, scripting, automation, and other tasks.Â
While choosing your first language matters, don’t overthink it
The most important thing is to just start writing code. Sometimes I speak to people who are stuck in analysis paralysis choosing their first language. Remember that it’s not a permanent, career-altering decision, and in almost all cases you'll have to learn multiple programming languages anyways.
Starting with Python, JavaScript, or Ruby (or anything else) will give you a solid introduction to programming concepts. Once you understand the fundamentals of one of these languages, picking up new languages becomes easier.
Whether you choose an easy language or dive into something more challenging, the best programming language for learning is the one you'll actually use.Â
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