Variable initialization

Variable declaration and variable initialization are two separate terms but are often confused.

What is initialization?

Initialization is when we give a variable a value.

In most statically-typed languages, we must first declare (create) the variable before we can give it a value. In some languages like Python, however, we can initialize any variable without needing to first declare it.

How does it differ from assignment?

Assignment is also the process of giving a variable a value. So what's the difference?

Assignment is whenever we change the value of any variable, while initialization is only when it is first given a value.

This means that initialization is a type of assignment.

Example: declaration and initialization in C

int a;         // declaration: we create the 'a' variable
a = 72;        // initialization: we give 'a' a value
char b = 'b';  // declaration and initialization