C++ Special Characters

Strings - Special Characters

Because strings must be written within quotes, C++ will misunderstand this string, and generate an error:

string txt = "We are the so-called "Vikings" from the north.";

The solution to avoid this problem, is to use the backslash escape character.

The backslash (\) escape character turns special characters into string characters:

The sequence \" inserts a double quote in a string:

string txt = "We are the so-called \"Vikings\" from the north.";

The sequence \' inserts a single quote in a string:

string txt = "It\'s alright.";

The sequence \\ inserts a single backslash in a string:

string txt = "The character \\ is called backslash.";

Other popular escape characters in C++ are:

Escape Character	Result	Try it
\n	New Line	Try it »
\t	Tab	Try it »