break and continue
- C course
- Beginner
- Lesson 45/116
- 4 min
Learn to exit a loop with break and skip with continue.
break and continue
break ends a loop early; continue skips the current iteration and moves to the next. Both change the loop flow.
for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
if (i == 5) break;
if (i % 2 == 0) continue;
printf("%d\n", i);
}Here when i=5 the loop ends. Even i values are skipped with continue. Output: 1 3 (only odd and less than 5). These statements let you control loops flexibly.
break in switch
break is also used to exit a switch block. Outside loops it works in switch; it cannot exit if blocks.
switch (n) {
case 1: printf("One"); break;
case 2: printf("Two"); break;
default: printf("Other");
}Without break in each case, flow falls through to the next case. This is called fall-through; sometimes wanted, usually a bug.
Practice Exit early with break
Write a C program. Write a for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) loop. Exit at 5 with if (i == 5) break;. Print printf("%d\n", i); each iteration. Put #include <stdio.h> at the top.
Starter code
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
// for from 1 to 10, break at 5
return 0;
}Sample solution
#include <stdio.h>
int main(void) {
for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
if (i == 5) break;
printf("%d\n", i);
}
return 0;
}Expected output
1 2 3 4
Questions and answers
Review the lesson questions together with their answers. To test yourself, solve the lesson interactively.
1 What does continue do?
for (int i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
if (i == 2) continue;
printf("%d", i);
}- Ends the loop
- Skips this iteration Correct answer
- Raises an error
- Stops the program
Explanation: continue skips this iteration and moves to the next.
2 Match break/continue
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
break |
Ends the loop |
continue |
Skips iteration |
switch break |
Exits the case |
if |
Control statement |
3 End the loop
for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
if (i == 10) ____;
printf("%d", i);
}for (int i = 0; i < 100; i++) {
if (i == 10) break;
printf("%d", i);
}Explanation: break exits the loop early.