Got stuck for three hours because I forgot a single semicolon

Just started learning JavaScript last week. My first little project was a simple number guessing game. Everything looked right, but the console kept throwing an 'unexpected token' error. I checked my loops, my variables, my functions. I rewrote the whole thing twice. I even watched a 45 minute tutorial video again. Finally, my eyes were crossing. I took a break, came back, and saw it. Line 17. I missed a semicolon after a variable declaration. Three whole hours for one tiny punctuation mark. It felt so dumb. My brain just skipped right over it every time. How do you guys train yourself to spot these small syntax mistakes faster? Is there a trick, or is it just more practice?

3 comments

3 Comments

adam_robinson6d ago

Ever try using a linter? It catches that stuff for you automatically.

theaward6d ago

Linters can create a false sense of security and make developers lazy about truly understanding their code. They often miss deeper logic errors while flagging trivial style issues. Over-reliance on them can weaken fundamental debugging skills.

graceprice6d agoOG Member

You ever think they'd make you worse at spotting bugs? I used to, but now I see the point.