Semicolons in Swift
Semicolons are the little dots-with-a-tail that some languages need at the end of every line, but Swift usually lets you skip them.
Syntax
statement1
statement2
statement1; statement2 // semicolon only to share a lineNo Semicolons Needed
Swift statements are terminated by a newline, so you do not need to add a semicolon at the end of each line, unlike C or Java.
Example: No Semicolons Needed
// Declare a constant `a`, set to `5`
let a = 5
// Declare a constant `b`, set to `10`
let b = 10
// Print `a + b` to the console
print(a + b)Login to try C/C++/Java/PHP code in the editor
Semicolons for Same-Line Statements
If you want to write two statements on a single line, Swift requires a semicolon to separate them, since there is no newline to mark the boundary.
Example: Semicolons for Same-Line Statements
let x = 1; let y = 2; print(x + y)Login to try C/C++/Java/PHP code in the editor
Idiomatic Style
While Swift allows a trailing semicolon on any statement, idiomatic Swift code omits it since it adds no value and clutters the code.
Note:
Swift-lint style guides consistently recommend dropping semicolons entirely.
Example: Idiomatic Style
let language = "Swift"
print(language)
// no semicolons needed above, and none are idiomatic hereLogin to try C/C++/Java/PHP code in the editor
Related Topics
{# common_mistakes/chapter_summary/browser_support: on Hindi pages the
view already swaps in the hi_ translation fields (or blanks these
out if untranslated), so this renders correctly for both languages
without a lang_code check here. #}
Common Mistakes
- Adding semicolons out of habit from other languages; while legal, they are unnecessary and not idiomatic Swift.
- Forgetting that a semicolon IS required when writing two statements on the same line.
- Assuming Swift will silently reformat code with stray semicolons in surprising ways; extra semicolons on their own line are simply unnecessary but not an error at statement boundaries.
Chapter Summary
- Swift statements do not require a trailing semicolon.
- A semicolon is only needed to separate two statements written on the same line.
- Idiomatic Swift style omits semicolons entirely, one statement per line.
- This is different from languages like C, Java, or JavaScript where semicolons are mandatory.
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