All C++ Keywords

This page is optimized for scanning. Use C++ language reference when you want more explanation.

Core control flow

• if, else, switch, case, default
• for, while, do, break, continue, goto, return
• try, catch, throw

Declarations and object model

• class, struct, union, enum
• typename, typedef, using
• namespace, template, concept, requires
• public, protected, private
• friend, virtual, override, final, explicit, inline

Types, storage, and qualifiers

• bool, char, char8_t, char16_t, char32_t, wchar_t
• short, int, long, signed, unsigned
• float, double, void
• const, volatile, mutable
• static, extern, thread_local, register

Dynamic, reflection, and type queries

• new, delete
• typeid, decltype
• sizeof, alignof, noexcept
• static_cast, dynamic_cast, const_cast, reinterpret_cast

Functions, special names, and literals

• auto, operator, this, nullptr
• true, false

Compile-time and modern keywords

• constexpr, consteval, constinit
• co_await, co_yield, co_return
• module, import, export

Alternative operator tokens

• and, and_eq
• bitand, bitor
• compl
• not, not_eq
• or, or_eq
• xor, xor_eq

Legacy or implementation-specific notes

• asm and some compiler-specific extensions may appear in toolchains, but they are not what you should reach for first in portable modern code.

Practical use

• Use this page to confirm spelling and quickly scan the language surface.
• Then jump to C++ language reference or Operators and punctuators for context.

Small worked example

class Counter {
public:
	constexpr explicit Counter(int start) : value_{start} {}

	int next() {
		if (value_ < 0) {
			return 0;
		}
		return value_++;
	}

private:
	int value_{};
};

int main() {
	Counter counter{1};
	return counter.next();
}

This small example touches several common keywords in context: class, public, private, constexpr, explicit, if, return, and int. Keyword scan pages are most useful when you can connect the spelling list back to ordinary code quickly.