Difference Between Break and Continue in Python

In Python, the keywords break and continue are utilized exclusively within loops. The main purpose of these statements is to terminate the execution of a loop and to skip to the next iteration, respectively.

In this Python tutorial, we will explore the break and continue statements, including their applications. Following that, we will examine the distinctions between these two concepts.

What is the break Statement in Python?

In Python, the break statement serves to terminate a loop before its condition evaluates to false or before completing the iteration over all elements. When the break statement is triggered, control exits the loop instantly, and the program proceeds to execute the first statement that follows the loop.

Let us see a few examples of the break statement.

Example 1: Searching in a List

In this instance, we will explore the application of a break statement within a 'for' loop to halt the iteration as soon as a specific item is located in the provided list.

Example

# given list

fruits = ['apple', 'mango', 'guava', 'banana', 'grapes']

target_fruit = 'guava'

# iterating through the given list

for fruit in fruits:

  if fruit == target_fruit:

    print(f"{target_fruit} found in the list!")

    # using break statement

    break

  print("Checking:", fruit)

else:

  print(f"{target_fruit} not found in the list!!")

Output:

Checking: apple

Checking: mango

guava found in the list!

Explanation:

In this scenario, we are provided with a collection of elements. Additionally, we are tasked with locating a specific element within this collection. To achieve this, we utilize a 'for' loop to iterate through the elements of the list. Within this loop, an if-statement is employed to determine if the current element matches the desired element, and the break statement is used to stop any further iterations once the element is located. Furthermore, an else-block is included with the 'for' loop to display a different message if the element is not found.

Example 2: Exiting a User Input Loop

In this illustration, we will explore the utilization of a break statement within a 'while' loop to end the loop when the user inputs 'exit'.

Example

# using the while loop

while True:

  # asking user to input something

  user_input = input("Enter something (type 'exit' to quit): ")

  if user_input == "exit":

    print("Exiting the loop.")

    # using break statement

    break

  print(f"You entered: {user_input}")

Output:

Enter something (type 'exit' to quit): hello

You entered: hello

Enter something (type 'exit' to quit): welcome to

You entered: welcome to

Enter something (type 'exit' to quit): logicpractice tech

You entered: logicpractice tech

Enter something (type 'exit' to quit): exit

Exiting the loop.

Explanation:

In this example, the input function is utilized within a 'while' loop to continuously prompt the user to input text indefinitely. We then employ a break statement in conjunction with an if-statement to end the loop when the user types 'exit'.

What is the continue Statement in Python?

In Python, the continue statement is utilized within for or while loops to bypass the rest of the code for the current iteration and promptly proceed to the next iteration.

In contrast to break, which terminates the entire loop, continue allows the loop to persist. It merely bypasses the execution of one iteration of the loop when a defined condition is met, subsequently continuing with the normal execution of the loop for the following item or value.

Next, we will examine a few illustrations of the continue statement.

Example 1: Skipping Numbers divisible by 3

Let's examine an example to grasp how the continue statement functions within a 'for' loop to bypass numbers that are divisible by 3.

Example

# using the for loop

for num in range(1, 13):

  if num % 3 == 0:

    # skipping if the current number is divisible by 3

    continue

  print("Counting:", num)

Output:

Counting: 1

Counting: 2

Counting: 4

Counting: 5

Counting: 7

Counting: 8

Counting: 10

Counting: 11

Explanation:

In this instance, we utilized a 'for' loop to iterate through the numbers from 1 to 13. Within this loop, we assessed whether the current number is divisible by 3 and employed the continue statement to bypass that iteration.

Example 2: Skipping a Specific Character in a string

In Python, the continue statement allows us to bypass a specific character in a string. Here is a straightforward example demonstrating the functionality of continue within a 'while' loop.

Example

# given string

msg = "logicpractice tech"

# intializing counter

i = 0

# using the while loop

while i < len(msg):

  if msg[i] == 't':

    # incrementing the value of i

    i += 1

    # skipping the current iteration

    continue

  print(msg[i])

  # incrementing the value of i

  i += 1

Output:

p

o

i

n

e

c

h

Explanation:

In this scenario, a string has been provided. A counter has been set to 0, and a while loop is employed to traverse the characters within the string. Within the if-block, the continue statement is utilized to bypass a specific character in the provided string.

Key Differences between Break and Continue

We will now look at the key differences between the break and continue statements in Python.

• ✅ Searching for an item
• ✅ Exiting menu loops
• ✅ Breaking infinite loops
• ✅ Skipping unwanted values
• ✅ Ignoring errors
• ✅ Filtering data

Difference between Break and Continue in Python FAQs

1. What is the primary distinction between break and continue in Python?

• ✅ break terminates the loop entirely, so no further iterations are executed.
• ✅ continue does not conduct the current iteration but proceeds to the following iteration of the loop.

2. When should we apply break in Python?

Utilizing a break statement is recommended when a specific condition arises that necessitates the premature exit of a loop. For example, if a particular value is identified in a list, and subsequent iterations are unnecessary.

3. When should we use continue in Python?

The recommendation is to utilize continue when the goal is to bypass the current loop iteration and proceed to the subsequent one. For instance, this is applicable when there is a desire to omit certain values from processing, such as None values present in a list.

4. What occurs to the code following break in a loop?

Once the break statement is executed, the loop can no longer continue its execution. The code that follows the break within the loop will not be executed before the code that comes after the break statement.

5. What happens to the code following continue in a loop?

Upon encountering the continue statement within a loop, the remaining code following the continue for the current iteration is bypassed, and the loop advances directly to the subsequent iteration. Nonetheless, any code preceding the continue statement in the loop is executed as expected.