What does a missing semicolon in a C program typically result in?

A missing semicolon in a C program typically results in a syntax error because semicolons are used to terminate statements in C programming. The C compiler expects each statement to end with a semicolon, and when it encounters a statement that lacks one, it cannot correctly interpret the code structure. This disrupts the parsing of the program, leading to an immediate syntax error during compilation.

In this context, syntax errors are commonly caught by the compiler, which will indicate the line number where the error occurred, allowing the programmer to fix it before running the program. Other types of errors, such as runtime or logical errors, occur during different stages of program execution and involve different issues entirely.