break and continue Statements in C Programming

In C programming, break and continue are loop control statements. They are used to change the normal flow of loops like for, while, and do-while.

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1. break Statement

The break statement immediately stops the loop and exits from it.

Syntax:

break;

Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

    int i;

    for(i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {

        if(i == 3)

            break;

        printf("%d\n", i);

    }

    return 0;

}

This program prints 1 and 2, then stops when i becomes 3.

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2. continue Statement

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

Syntax:

continue;

Example:

#include <stdio.h>

int main() {

    int i;

    for(i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {

        if(i == 3)

            continue;

        printf("%d\n", i);

    }

    return 0;

}

This program prints 1, 2, 4, and 5. It skips printing 3.

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Difference Between break and continue

break	continue
Stops the loop completely	Skips only one iteration
Exits the loop	Moves to next iteration

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Conclusion

The break and continue statements give better control over loops. Understanding these concepts helps in writing efficient and logical programs.