FAQ 11.08 Can a reference be made to refer to a different referent?

No, it can't.

Unlike a pointer, once a reference is bound to an object, it cannot be made to refer to a different object. The alias cannot be separated from the referent.

For example, the last line of the following example changes i to 6; it does not make the reference k refer to j. Throughout its short life, k will always refer to i.

 int main() {   int  i = 5;   int  j = 6;   int& k = i;                                        <-- 1        k = j;                                        <-- 2 } 

(1) Bind k so it is an alias for i

(2) Change i to 6 does NOT bind k to j