---
title: "3.4 Pre-Increment and Post-Increment"
description: "The increment operator can appear before or after a variable. Both forms increase the variable by `1`, but they differ in the value produced when the operation is used inside an expression. ``` #include int main() { int a =…"
url: "https://edcret.in/docs/c-programming/operators-and-expressions/3-4-pre-increment-and-post-increment/"
updated: "2026-09-07"
category: C Programming / Operators and Expressions
---

# 3.4 Pre-Increment and Post-Increment

The increment operator can appear before or after a variable. Both forms increase the variable by `1`, but they differ in the value produced when the operation is used inside an expression.

```
#include <stdio.h>

int main()
{
    int a = 5;
    int b = 5;

    printf("Pre-increment: %d\n", ++a);
    printf("Post-increment: %d\n", b++);

    printf("a = %d\n", a);
    printf("b = %d\n", b);

    return 0;
}
```

### Example Output

```
Pre-increment: 6
Post-increment: 5
a = 6
b = 6
```

### Explanation

In pre-increment:

```
++a
```

`a` is incremented before its value is used by the expression. Therefore, `++a` produces `6`.

In post-increment:

```
b++
```

the original value of `b` is used by the expression first. The increment is then applied, so the expression produces `5`, while `b` becomes `6`.

Both forms ultimately increase the variable by `1`; the difference is the value produced by the expression.