C# Keywords
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 | int | interface | internal | |
| is | lock | long | namespace | |
| new | null | object | operator | |
| out | 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 | using static | 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 |
| async | await | by |
| descending | dynamic | equals |
| from | get | global |
| group | into | join |
| let | nameof | on |
| orderby | partial (type) | partial (method) |
| remove | select | set |
| value | var | when (filter condition) |
| where (generic type constraint) | where (query clause) | yield |
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