Day 11: Understanding `break` and `continue` Statements in Java

What are break and continue?

In Java, break and continue are loop control statements.
They are used to change the normal flow of loops (for, while, do-while, and switch).

• break → stops the loop completely
• continue → skips the current iteration and moves to the next one

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The break Statement

What is break?

The break statement is used to terminate a loop immediately when a specific condition is met.

Once break is executed:

• The loop stops
• Control moves to the statement after the loop

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Syntax of break

break;

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Example: Using break in a loop

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
    if (i == 5) {
        break;
    }
    System.out.println(i);
}

Output:

1
2
3
4

Explanation:

The loop starts from 1. When i becomes 5, the break statement executes and stops the loop completely. Numbers after 4 are not printed.

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Using break in a switch Statement

int day = 2;

switch (day) {
    case 1:
        System.out.println("Monday");
        break;
    case 2:
        System.out.println("Tuesday");
        break;
    default:
        System.out.println("Invalid day");
}

Explanation:

break prevents execution from falling into the next case. Without break, multiple cases would execute.

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The continue Statement

What is continue?

The continue statement is used to skip the current iteration of a loop and move to the next iteration.

Unlike break:

• The loop does not stop
• Only the current iteration is skipped

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Syntax of continue

continue;

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Example: Using continue in a loop

for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    if (i == 3) {
        continue;
    }
    System.out.println(i);
}

Output:

1
2
4
5

Explanation:

When i becomes 3, the continue statement skips printing 3 and moves to the next iteration. The loop continues normally.

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break vs continue

Feature	break	continue
Stops loop	Yes	No
Skips iteration	No	Yes
Control moves to	After loop	Next iteration
Used in switch	Yes	No

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Important Points to Note

• break exits the loop completely
• continue skips only the current iteration
• Both improve loop control and readability
• Used with conditional statements (if)
• Helps avoid unnecessary execution

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Common Use Cases

break is used when:

• A value is found in a search
• Input validation fails
• Loop should stop early

continue is used when:

• Certain values should be ignored
• Filtering even or odd numbers
• Skipping invalid data

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Example: Using break and continue Together

for (int i = 1; i <= 10; i++) {
    if (i == 3) {
        continue;
    }
    if (i == 8) {
        break;
    }
    System.out.println(i);
}

Output:

1
2
4
5
6
7

Explanation:

• continue skips printing 3
• break stops the loop when i reaches 8

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Forgetting break in switch cases
• Using continue without understanding loop flow
• Creating infinite loops accidentally
• Confusing break and continue behavior

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When to Use break and continue?

Use these statements when:

• You need better control over loops
• Certain conditions require early exit
• Some iterations should be skipped
• Writing clean and efficient logic

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