Go keywords complete list

Go has 25 keywords. They are part of the language’s syntax and cannot be used as names for variables, functions, types, packages, etc.

25 keywords complete list

break
case
chan
const
continue
default
defer
else
fallthrough
for
func
go
goto
if
import
interface
map
package
range
return
select
struct
switch
type
var

However, they are not reserved keywords. They are predeclared identifiers of the language. Therefore, they can technically be overridden in a local scope (although doing so is bad practice).

Valid example (but not recommended):

func main() {
	int := "text"
	println(int)
}

This compiles because int is not a keyword; it is a pre-declared identifier.

An easy way to memorize

Declarations

• const
• func
• import
• package
• type
• var

Composite Types

• chan
• interface
• map
• struct

Control Flow

• break
• case
• continue
• default
• else
• fallthrough
• for
• goto
• if
• range
• return
• switch

Concurrency

• go
• defer
• select

Comparison with other languages

• Go: 25 keywords
• Java: ~50 keywords
• C#: ~70+ keywords
• Python: ~35 keywords

One of Go’s design goals was to keep the language small and easy to learn.

If you are studying for interviews or certifications, it is worth memorizing these 10 in particular, as they appear in practically all Go code:

package
import
func
var
const
if
for
range
switch
return