import pandas as pd data = {'spike-2': [1,2,3], 'hey spke': [4,5,6], 'spiked-in': [7,8,9], 'no': [10,11,12]} df = pd.DataFrame(data) spike_cols = [col for col in df.columns if 'spike' in col] print(list(df.columns)) print(spike_cols)