Reserved Words

Keyword

Description

asm

Keyword that denotes inline assembly language code.

auto

The default storage class.

break

Command that exits for, while, switch, and do...while statements unconditionally.

case

Command used within the switch statement.

char

The simplest C data type.

const

Data modifier that prevents a variable from being changed. See volatile.

continue

Command that resets a for, while, or do...while statement to the next iteration.

default

Command used within the switch statement to catch any instances not specified with a case statement.

do

Looping command used in conjunction with the while statement. The loop will always execute at least once.

double

Data type that can hold double-precision floating-point values.

else

Statement signaling alternative statements to be executed when an if statement evaluates to FALSE.

enum

Data type that allows variables to be declared that accept only certain values.

extern

Data modifier indicating that a variable will be declared in another area of the program.

float

Data type used for floating-point numbers.

for

Looping command that contains initialization, incrementation, and conditional sections.

goto

Command that causes a jump to a predefined label.

if

Command used to change program flow based on a TRUE/FALSE decision.

int

Data type used to hold integer values.

long

Data type used to hold larger integer values than int.

register

Storage modifier that specifies that a variable should be stored in a register if possible.

return

Command that causes program flow to exit from the current function and return to the calling function. It can also be used to return a single value.

short

Data type used to hold integers. It isn't commonly used, and it's the same size as an int on most computers.

signed

Modifier used to signify that a variable can have both positive and negative values. See unsigned.

sizeof

Operator that returns the size of the item in bytes.

static

Modifier used to signify that the compiler should retain the variable's value.

struct

Keyword used to combine C variables of any data type into a group.

switch

Command used to change program flow in a multitude of directions. Used in conjunction with the case statement.

typedef

Modifier used to create new names for existing variable and function types.

union

Keyword used to allow multiple variables to share the same memory space.

unsigned

Modifier used to signify that a variable will contain only positive values. See signed.

void

Keyword used to signify either that a function doesn't return anything or that a pointer being used is considered generic or able to point to any data type.

volatile

Modifier that signifies that a variable can be changed. See const.

while

Looping statement that executes a section of code as long as a condition remains TRUE.