Switch Statement

When you're checking a single value against many possible matches, the switch statement offers a cleaner alternative to long chains of else if. It's especially useful when you have multiple distinct cases to handle.

let day = "Monday"

switch day {
case "Monday":
    print("Start of the week")
case "Friday":
    print("Almost weekend!")
case "Saturday", "Sunday":
    print("Weekend!")
default:
    print("Regular day")
}

Swift compares the value after switch against each case. When it finds a match, it executes that case's code. Notice how you can combine multiple values in a single case using commas.

The default case handles any values that don't match the other cases — it's required when your cases don't cover every possible value. Unlike some other languages, Swift's switch doesn't fall through to the next case automatically, so you don't need break statements.

let grade = "B"

switch grade {
case "A":
    print("Excellent")
case "B":
    print("Good")
case "C":
    print("Fair")
default:
    print("Needs improvement")
}