Python: txt into dictionary. Split() TypeError: unhashable type: 'list' -

i started python , i'm having troubles 1 exercise. sorry if question "basic stuff" i've done research on google , can't find short , not complicated answer. , exercise:

"write program reads words in words.txt , stores them keys in dictionary. doesn't matter values are. can use in operator fast way check whether string in dictionary."

i tried this:

import os os.chdir("/users/missogra/documents") fname = input("file name: ") if len(fname) < 1 : fname = "words.txt" fh= open(fname) counter = 0 dictionairy = dict() line in fh:     word = line.rstrip()     dictionairy[word] = counter     counter += 1     print(dictionairy) 

however, don't words, sentences. thought use split() this:

import os os.chdir("/users/missogra/documents") fname = input("file name: ") if len(fname) < 1 : fname = "words.txt" fh= open(fname) counter = 0 dictionairy = dict() line in fh:     word = line.rstrip().split()     dictionairy[word] = counter     counter += 1     print(dictionairy) 

but doesn't work. get:

dictionairy[word] = counter typeerror: unhashable type: 'list' 

can please explain me why happening , give me hint how can fix it? please, pretty please?

if don't care values using wrong container, use set not dict:

st = set() line in fh:     word = line.split()     st.update(word) 

calling rstrip redundant if splitting simple line.split() , call set.update need.