In Algol based languages ";" ends each statement. To be pedantic about it, in ALGOL, the original "Algol based language", the semicolon is a separator. There a

In Algol based languages ";" ends each statement. To be pedantic about it, in ALGOL, the original "Algol based language", the semicolon is a separator. There are lots of "missing" semicolons in ALGOL programs. See the examples here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALGOL#Code_sample_comparisons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ALGOL#Code_sample_comparisons I think that is more confusing than what C does. E.g. look at the ALGOL 68 example. One 'od' ends with a semicolon, the other doesn't. I dunno if that example is correct or not, I haven't written an ALGOL program in about 45 years.