break and continue

Learn to exit with break and skip with continue.

break ends the loop entirely. continue skips the current iteration and goes to the next:

for i in range(5):
    if i == 3:
        break
    print(i)  # 0 1 2

This example ends the loop when i reaches 3. continue just skips that iteration.

break is used in search loops to say 'found it, exit'.

Searching with break

break is mostly used in search loops. When the target is found, exiting the loop saves time:

for n in [1, 3, 5, 7]:
    if n == 5:
        print("Found")
        break

This prints 'Found' when it hits 5 and exits. Without break, the loop would continue to the end.

Write a for i in range(5): loop. Exit with if i == 3: break. Add print(i).

Show example solution

for i in range(5):
    if i == 3:
        break
    print(i)

Complete continue

for i in range(5):
    if i == 2:
        ____
    print(i)

Show answer

for i in range(5):
    if i == 2:
        continue
    print(i)

Next lesson: Loop else