32 Keywords in C Programming and Meanings

There is a sizable following for the structured, procedural programming language C in the academic world, and it has been used extensively for operating systems and applications. Operating systems built on UNIX frequently use C as their primary programming language.

A reserved term is a keyword. It cannot be used as a variable, constant, or other types of name. There are only 32 reserved words (keywords) in the C language. A programming language typically refers to keywords as pre-defined or reserved words. Every keyword in the C programming language has a specific job to do in a program.

Characteristics of the keywords in C Programming:

• It is not possible to name variables using keywords.
• The meaning of a keyword is set and cannot be altered.
• They serve as the foundation of a “C” program.
• C offers 32-keyword support.
• Lowercase letters are used for all of the keywords.

List of keywords in C Programming and their meanings:

1. Auto: used to represent automatic storage class 
2. Break: unconditional control statement used to terminate switch and looping statements
3. Case: used to describe a case or option in a switch statement
4. Char: used to represent a character data type
5. Const: used to define a constant
6. Continue: unconditional control statement used to pass the control to the beginning of looping statements
7. default: used to represent a default case or option in a switch statement
8. Do: used to define do a block in the do-while statement
9. Double: used to present double data type
10. Else: used to define a false block of an if statement
11. Enum: used to Define enumerated data types
12. Extern: used to represent external storage class
13. Float: used to express a floating-point data type
14. For: used to define a looping statement
15. Goto: used to represent unconditional control statement
16.  If: used to determine a conditional control statement
17. Int: used to describe the integer data type
18. Long: a type modifier that alters the primary data type
19.  Register: used to represent register storage class
20.  Return: used to terminate a function execution
21.  Short: it is a type modifier that modifies the primary data type
22. Signed: it is a type modifier that changes the primary data type
23.  Sizeof: it is an operator that gives the size of the memory of a variable
24.  Static: used to create static variables constants
25.  Struct: used to build structures of user-defined data types
26.  Switch: used to define switch case statement
27.  Typedef: used to specify a temporary name for the data types
28.  Union: used to create Union for grouping different types under a name
29. Unsigned: it is a type modifier that alters the primary data type
30. Void: used to indicate nothing return value, the parameter of a function
31. Volatile: used to create volatile objects
32. While: used to define a looping statement

Now that you know the 32 keywords in C programming that are used, try them out to construct C program instructions!

Also, do read our post on C/C++ Pointers vs. Java References – What’s the Difference?