D BREAK - CONT repeats
Sinclair ZX Spectrum
Severity: MinorWhat Does This Error Mean?
D BREAK - CONT repeats means you pressed the BREAK key (SPACE while holding CAPS SHIFT) and interrupted a running program. Type CONTINUE and press ENTER to resume the program from where it stopped.
Affected Models
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48K
- Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128K
- Spectrum+
- Spectrum +2
- Spectrum +3
- ZX Spectrum Next
- Fuse emulator
Common Causes
- BREAK key pressed (CAPS SHIFT + SPACE) during program execution
- BREAK pressed accidentally while typing during an INPUT prompt
- Program used STOP to intentionally pause for debugging
How to Fix It
-
Type CONTINUE and press ENTER to resume the program.
CONTINUE (or its abbreviation CO) resumes the program from the exact point it was interrupted. The message says CONT repeats because CONTINUE will re-execute the last interrupted statement.
-
Type RUN to restart the program from the beginning if CONTINUE is not needed.
If you want to start fresh rather than resuming, type RUN and press ENTER. Note that RUN clears all variables.
-
Use BREAK intentionally as a debugging tool.
Pressing BREAK during a program run pauses execution and lets you inspect variable values by typing PRINT variablename. Type CONTINUE when done to resume from the same point.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I press BREAK on a ZX Spectrum?
BREAK is not a dedicated key on the Spectrum keyboard. Press and hold CAPS SHIFT, then press SPACE. On the Spectrum+ and later models with a full keyboard layout, there is a dedicated BREAK key.
Why does the Spectrum say CONT repeats instead of just CONTINUE?
Sinclair's phrasing means that the CONTINUE command will re-execute the statement that was interrupted — repeating it — rather than skipping to the next one. This is the expected behaviour for most interruptions.