C# Keywords

Article
02/04/2013

Keywords are predefined, reserved identifiers that have special meanings to the compiler. They cannot be used as identifiers in your program unless they include @ as a prefix. For example, @if is a valid identifier but if is not because if is a keyword.

The first table in this topic lists keywords that are reserved identifiers in any part of a C# program. The second table in this topic lists the contextual keywords in C#. Contextual keywords have special meaning only in a limited program context and can be used as identifiers outside that context. Generally, as new keywords are added to the C# language, they are added as contextual keywords in order to avoid breaking programs written in earlier versions.

abstract	as	base	bool
break	byte	case	catch
char	checked	class	const
continue	decimal	default	delegate
do	double	else	enum
event	explicit	extern	false
finally	fixed	float	for
foreach	goto	if	implicit
in	in (generic modifier)	int	interface
internal	is	lock	long
namespace	new	null	object
operator	out	out (generic modifier)	override
params	private	protected	public
readonly	ref	return	sbyte
sealed	short	sizeof	stackalloc
static	string	struct	switch
this	throw	true	try
typeof	uint	ulong	unchecked
unsafe	ushort	using	virtual
void	volatile	while

Contextual Keywords

A contextual keyword is used to provide a specific meaning in the code, but it is not a reserved word in C#. Some contextual keywords, such as partial and where, have special meanings in two or more contexts.

add	alias	ascending
descending	dynamic	from
get	global	group
into	join	let
orderby	partial (type)	partial (method)
remove	select	set
value	var	where (generic type constraint)
where (query clause)	yield

C# Keywords

Contextual Keywords

See Also

Concepts

Other Resources

Additional resources