Print a Pyramid Star Pattern in C

To print a pyramid star pattern in C, we use nested loops. The outer loop controls the number of rows, while the inner loops handle spaces and stars to form a symmetrical pyramid shape.

Examples of Pyramid Star Patterns

1. Simple Pyramid Star Pattern

In this example, we will print a pyramid pattern where each row has an increasing number of stars, centered using spaces.

main.c

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#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int rows = 5;
    
    for (int i = 1; i <= rows; i++) {
        for (int j = 1; j <= rows - i; j++) {
            printf(" ");
        }
        for (int k = 1; k <= 2 * i - 1; k++) {
            printf("*");
        }
        printf("\n");
    }
    
    return 0;
}

Explanation:

  1. We declare rows as 5, which determines the pyramid height.
  2. The outer loop (i) runs from 1 to rows to print each row.
  3. The first inner loop prints spaces before the stars to center-align the pyramid.
  4. The second inner loop prints (2 * i - 1) stars to form the pyramid shape.
  5. The printf("\n") moves to the next row after printing one complete line.

Output:

    *
   ***
  *****
 *******
*********

2. Inverted Pyramid Star Pattern

In this example, we will print an inverted pyramid where the number of stars decreases in each row.

main.c

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#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int rows = 5;
    
    for (int i = rows; i >= 1; i--) {
        for (int j = 0; j < rows - i; j++) {
            printf(" ");
        }
        for (int k = 0; k < (2 * i - 1); k++) {
            printf("*");
        }
        printf("\n");
    }
    
    return 0;
}

Explanation:

  1. We declare rows as 5, which defines the height of the inverted pyramid.
  2. The outer loop (i) starts from rows and decrements to 1.
  3. The first inner loop prints spaces to center-align the stars.
  4. The second inner loop prints (2 * i - 1) stars, reducing in each row.
  5. printf("\n") moves to the next row.

Output:

*********
 *******
  *****
   ***
    *

3. Hollow Pyramid Star Pattern

In this example, we will print a pyramid where only the outer boundary stars are visible, making it hollow inside.

main.c

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#include <stdio.h>

int main() {
    int rows = 5;

    for (int i = 1; i <= rows; i++) {
        for (int j = 1; j <= rows - i; j++) {
            printf(" ");
        }
        for (int k = 1; k <= (2 * i - 1); k++) {
            if (k == 1 || k == (2 * i - 1) || i == rows)
                printf("*");
            else
                printf(" ");
        }
        printf("\n");
    }
    
    return 0;
}

Explanation:

  1. We declare rows as 5, setting the pyramid height.
  2. The outer loop controls the number of rows.
  3. The first inner loop prints spaces to align the stars properly.
  4. The second inner loop prints stars at the start, end, and last row while printing spaces inside.
  5. The condition if (k == 1 || k == (2 * i - 1) || i == rows) ensures stars are printed at boundaries.

Output:

    *
   * *
  *   *
 *     *
*********

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we explored different pyramid star patterns in C using nested loops:

  1. Simple Pyramid: A standard symmetrical pyramid.
  2. Inverted Pyramid: A flipped version where rows decrease.
  3. Hollow Pyramid: A pyramid with only boundary stars.