>>> L = ['apple','red','apple','red','red','pear']
>>> from collections import defaultdict
>>> d = defaultdict(int)
>>> for i in L:
... d[i] += 1
>>> d
defaultdict(<type 'int'>, {'pear': 1, 'apple': 2, 'red': 3})
items = "Whats the simpliest way to add the list items to a dictionary "
stats = {}
for i in items:
if i in stats:
stats[i] += 1
else:
stats[i] = 1
# bonus
for i in sorted(stats, key=stats.get):
print("%d×'%s'" % (stats[i], i))