tabs. Example:: source = "sldjf123lsdjjkf345sldkjf879lkjsfd987" print(source) for tokens, start, end in Word(alphas).scan_string(source): print(' '*start + '^'*(end-start)) print(' '*start + tokens[0]) prints:: sldjf123lsdjjkf345sldkjf879lkjsfd987 ^^^^^ sldjf ^^^^^^^ lsdjjkf ^^^^^^ sldkjf ^^^^^^ lkjsfd r