C break and continue Statements – Explained with Examples

In C programming, the break and continue statements are used to control the flow of loops and conditional structures. They give you more control over when and how loops execute.

break Statement in C

Purpose:

The break statement is used to exit a loop or switch statement immediately.

Syntax:

Example: Stop Loop When Number is 5

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
        if (i == 5) {
            break;
        }
        printf("%d ", i);
    }
    return 0;
}

Output:

The loop ends when i becomes 5.

continue Statement in C

Purpose:

The continue statement skips the current iteration and jumps to the next loop cycle.

Syntax:

Example: Skip Number 5 in a Loop

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
        if (i == 5) {
            continue;
        }
        printf("%d ", i);
    }
    return 0;
}

Output:

The number 5 is skipped.

When to Use

Statement	Use Case
`break`	To exit a loop or `switch-case` early
`continue`	To skip the current loop iteration and proceed to the next one

Real-World Example: Validating Input

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int number;

    while (1) {
        printf("Enter a number (0 to exit): ");
        scanf("%d", &number);

        if (number == 0) {
            break;  // exit the loop
        }

        if (number < 0) {
            continue;  // skip processing for negative numbers
        }

        printf("You entered: %d\n", number);
    }

    return 0;
}

Output (Sample):

Best Practices

Tip	Why It Matters
Use `break` only when needed	Avoids premature loop exits
Comment your `break`/`continue`	Improves readability and maintenance
Avoid multiple `breaks` in large loops	Makes debugging easier

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Issue
Forgetting to update loop counter	Can lead to infinite loops
Overusing `continue`	Makes logic harder to follow
Misplacing `break` in nested loops	May exit the wrong loop