title: Is there a difference between int *x and int* x in C++?
body: <p>I'm getting back into my C++ studies, and really trying to understand the basics. Pointers have always given me trouble, and I want to make sure I really get it before I carry on and get confused down the road.</p>
  
  <p>Sadly, I've been stymied at the very outset by an inconsistency in the tutorials I'm reading. Some do pointer declarations this way:</p>
  
  <pre><code>int *x
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>and some do it this way:</p>
  
  <pre><code>int* x
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Now the former of the two seems to be by far the most common. Which is upsetting, because the second makes much more sense to me. When I read int *x, I read "Here is an int, and its name is *x", which isn't quite right. But when I read the second, I see "here is an int pointer, and its name is x", which is pretty accurate.</p>
  
  <p>So, before I build my own mental map, is there a functional difference between the two? Am I going to be a leper outcast if I do it the second way?</p>
  
  <p>Thanks.</p>