Lead vs. Lede
Main DifferenceThe main difference between lead and lede is that lead is the preferred spelling for the introductory section of some news story in a newspaper, whereas lede is also used instead in specific situations and is not incorrect.
Difference Between Lead and Lede
Lead vs. Lede
The noun lead is a heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, with a bright, bluish color, whereas the noun lede is the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article.
Lead vs. Lede
Lead is the alternative form of lede on the other hand; lede is an alteration of
Lead vs. Lede
The noun lead is a metal that is easily tarnished on the flip side lede is figuratively used in the phrase “bury the lede.” This phrase means “to emphasize the important part of a story.”
Lead vs. Lede
The word lead is also a verb and an adjective on the contrary; the word lede is a noun only.
Lead vs. Lede
Lead is the preferred spelling for the introductory section of some news story in a newspaper while lede is also used instead in specific situations and is not incorrect.
Leadnoun
(uncountable) A heavy, pliable, inelastic metal element, having a bright, bluish color, but easily tarnished; both malleable and ductile, though with little tenacity. It is easily fusible, forms alloys with other metals, and is an ingredient of solder and type metal. Atomic number 82, symbol Pb (from Latin plumbum).
Ledenoun
A man; person.
Leadnoun
(countable) A plummet or mass of lead attached to a line, used in sounding depth at sea or (dated) to estimate velocity in knots.
Ledenoun
Men; people, folk.
Leadnoun
A thin strip of type metal, used to separate lines of type in printing.
Ledenoun
A people or nation.
Leadnoun
Vertical space in advance of a row or between rows of text. Also known as leading.
This copy has too much lead; I prefer less space between the lines.Ledenoun
Tenements; holdings; possessions.
Leadnoun
Sheets or plates of lead used as a covering for roofs.
Ledenoun
The introductory paragraph(s) of a newspaper or other news article.
Leadnoun
(plural leads) A roof covered with lead sheets or terne plates.
Leadnoun
(countable) A thin cylinder of black lead or plumbago (graphite) used in pencils.
Leadnoun
(slang) Bullets; ammunition.
They pumped him full of lead.Leadnoun
(uncountable) The act of leading or conducting; guidance; direction, course
to take the leadto be under the lead of anotherLeadnoun
(uncountable) Precedence; advance position; also, the measure of precedence; the state of being ahead in a race; the highest score in a game in an incomplete game.
the white horse had the lead.to be in the leadShe lost the lead.Smith managed to extend her lead over the second place to half a second.Leadnoun
An insulated metallic wire for electrical devices and equipment.
Leadnoun
(baseball) The situation where a runner steps away from a base while waiting for the pitch to be thrown.
The runner took his lead from first.Leadnoun
The act or right of playing first in a game or round; the card suit, or piece, so played
your partner has the leadLeadnoun
(acting) The main role in a play or film; the lead role.
Leadnoun
(acting) The actor who plays the main role; lead actor.
Leadnoun
(countable) A channel of open water in an ice field.
Leadnoun
A lode.
Leadnoun
(nautical) The course of a rope from end to end.
Leadnoun
A rope, leather strap, or similar device with which to lead an animal; a leash
Leadnoun
In a steam engine, the width of port opening which is uncovered by the valve, for the admission or release of steam, at the instant when the piston is at end of its stroke.
Leadnoun
Charging lead. en
Leadnoun
(civil engineering) The distance of haul, as from a cutting to an embankment.
Leadnoun
(horology) The action of a tooth, such as a tooth of a wheel, in impelling another tooth or a pallet.
Leadnoun
Hypothesis that has not been pursued
The investigation stalled when all leads turned out to be dead ends.Leadnoun
Information obtained by a detective or police officer that allows him or her to discover further details about a crime or incident.
The police have a couple of leads they will follow to solve the case.Leadnoun
(marketing) Potential opportunity for a sale or transaction, a potential customer.
Joe is a great addition to our sales team, he has numerous leads in the paper industry.Leadnoun
Information obtained by a news reporter about an issue or subject that allows him or her to discover more details.
Leadnoun
(curling) The player who throws the first two rocks for a team.
Leadnoun
(newspapers) A teaser; a lead-in; the start of a newspaper column, telling who, what, when, where, why and how. (Sometimes spelled as lede for this usage to avoid ambiguity.)
Leadnoun
An important news story that appears on the front page of a newspaper or at the beginning of a news broadcast
Leadnoun
(engineering) The axial distance a screw thread travels in one revolution. It is equal to the pitch times the number of starts.
Leadnoun
(music) In a barbershop quartet, the person who sings the melody, usually the second tenor
Leadnoun
(music) The announcement by one voice part of a theme to be repeated by the other parts.
Leadnoun
(music) A mark or a short passage in one voice part, as of a canon, serving as a cue for the entrance of others.
Leadnoun
(engineering) The excess above a right angle in the angle between two consecutive cranks, as of a compound engine, on the same shaft.
Leadnoun
(electrical) The angle between the line joining the brushes of a continuous-current dynamo and the diameter symmetrical between the poles.
Leadnoun
(electrical) The advance of the current phase in an alternating circuit beyond that of the electromotive force producing it.
Leadverb
(transitive) To cover, fill, or affect with lead
continuous firing leads the grooves of a rifle.Leadverb
To place leads between the lines of.
to lead a page; leaded matterLeadverb
To guide or conduct.
Leadverb
To guide or conduct with the hand, or by means of some physical contact connection.
a father leads a child;a jockey leads a horse with a halter;a dog leads a blind manLeadverb
To guide or conduct in a certain course, or to a certain place or end, by making the way known; to show the way, especially by going with or going in advance of, to lead a pupil; to guide somebody somewhere or to bring somebody somewhere by means of instructions.
The guide was able to lead the tourists through the jungle safely.Leadverb
(figuratively): To direct; to counsel; to instruct
A good teacher should lead their students to the right answer.Leadverb
To conduct or direct with authority; to have direction or charge of; to command, especially a military or business unit.
to lead a political partyto lead the search teamLeadverb
To guide or conduct oneself in, through, or along (a certain course); hence, to proceed in the way of; to follow the path or course of; to pass; to spend. Also, to cause (one) to proceed or follow in (a certain course).
The evidence leads me to believe he is guilty.Leadverb
(intransitive) To guide or conduct, as by accompanying, going before, showing, influencing, directing with authority, etc.; to have precedence or preeminence; to be first or chief; — used in most of the senses of the transitive verb.
Leadverb
(heading) To begin, to be ahead.
Leadverb
(transitive) To go or to be in advance of; to precede; hence, to be foremost or chief among.
the big sloop led the fleet of yachts;the Guards led the attack;Demosthenes leads the orators of all agesLeadverb
(intransitive) To lead off or out, to go first; to begin.
Leadverb
(intransitive) To be more advanced in technology or business than others.
Leadverb
(transitive) To draw or direct by influence, whether good or bad; to prevail on; to induce; to entice; to allure
to lead someone to a righteous causeLeadverb
(intransitive) To tend or reach in a certain direction, or to a certain place.
the path leads to the mill;gambling leads to other vicesLeadverb
To produce (with to).
The shock led to a change in his behaviour.Leadverb
misspelling of led
Leadadjective
(not comparable) Foremost.
The contestants are all tied; no one has the lead position.Leadadjective
(music) main, principal
the lead guitaristlead trumpetLeadnoun
a soft heavy toxic malleable metallic element; bluish white when freshly cut but tarnishes readily to dull gray;
the children were playing with lead soldiersLeadnoun
an advantage held by a competitor in a race;
he took the lead at the last turnLeadnoun
evidence pointing to a possible solution;
the police are following a promising leadthe trail led straight to the perpetratorLeadnoun
a position of leadership (especially in the phrase `take the lead');
he takes the lead in any groupwe were just waiting for someone to take the leadthey didn't follow our leadLeadnoun
the angle between the direction a gun is aimed and the position of a moving target (correcting for the flight time of the missile)
Leadnoun
the introductory section of a story;
it was an amusing lead-in to a very serious matterLeadnoun
an actor who plays a principal role
Leadnoun
(baseball) the position taken by a base runner preparing to advance to the next base;
he took a long lead off firstLeadnoun
an indication of potential opportunity;
he got a tip on the stock marketa good lead for a jobLeadnoun
a news story of major importance
Leadnoun
the timing of ignition relative to the position of the piston in an internal-combustion engine
Leadnoun
restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal
Leadnoun
thin strip of metal used to separate lines of type in printing
Leadnoun
mixture of graphite with clay in different degrees of hardness; the marking substance in a pencil
Leadnoun
a jumper that consists of a short piece of wire;
it was a tangle of jumper cables and clip leadsLeadnoun
the playing of a card to start a trick in bridge;
the lead was in the dummyLeadverb
take somebody somewhere;
We lead him to our chiefcan you take me to the main entrance?He conducted us to the palaceLeadverb
result in;
The water left a mark on the silk dressHer blood left a stain on the napkinLeadverb
tend to or result in;
This remark lead to further arguments among the guestsLeadverb
travel in front of; go in advance of others;
The procession was headed by JohnLeadverb
cause to undertake a certain action;
Her greed led her to forge the checksLeadverb
stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point;
Service runs all the way to CranburyHis knowledge doesn't go very farMy memory extends back to my fourth year of lifeThe facts extend beyond a consideration of her personal assetsLeadverb
be in charge of;
Who is heading this project?Leadverb
be ahead of others; be the first;
she topped her class every yearLeadverb
be conducive to;
The use of computers in the classroom lead to better writingLeadverb
lead, as in the performance of a composition;
conduct an orchestra; Bairenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for yearsLeadverb
pass or spend;
lead a good lifeLeadverb
lead, extend, or afford access;
This door goes to the basementThe road runs SouthLeadverb
move ahead (of others) in time or space
Leadverb
cause something to pass or lead somewhere;
Run the wire behind the cabinetLeadverb
preside over;
John moderated the discussionComparison Chart
| Lead | Lede |
| It is a heavy, pliable, metal element, with a bright blue color | The noun lede is the opening sentence or paragraph of a news article |
| Spelling | |
| Considered more accurate | Considered less accurate |
| Usage | |
| More formal | Figurative or slang |
| Preference | |
| More | Less |
| Meaning | |
| As noun, verb, and adjective | As a noun only |
Lead vs. Lede
Lead is the alternative form of lede. The word lead falls into the category of nouns. The word lede also falls into the category of noun. Lead is a heavy and pliable metal element. A lede is a man or a person. The color of the element lead is bright, bluish. Lede has its use in journalism as the introductory paragraph/paragraph(s) of a newspaper or other news article.
The word lead is also a verb and an adjective. The word lede is only a noun. The meaning of lead as a verb is to fill, cover, or affect with lead. It also means to guide or conduct through any physical contact as a verb. e.g., a kind lady leading a blind man, a jockey leading a horse with a halter, etc. The noun lede is the opening paragraph or sentence of any news article that gives the summary of the whole article.
The origin of the word lead dates back to the old English word “lǣdan.” The origin of the noun lede dates back in newsrooms between 1950 and 1970. Earlier it was used as slang for the introductory sentence of an article or story. The Oxford English Dictionary introduces the word lede in the 1950s. Merriam Webster introduces it around 1970.
The noun lead, which is metal, is easily tarnished. It is malleable and ductile, has little tenacity, and easily fusible. It forms alloys with other metals. Lede is the newspaper slang. Lead has a type of metal atomic number 82. The common phrase with the word lede is “bury the lede.” It means to emphasize the important part of any story.
What is Lead?
The word lead is a noun, a verb as well as an adjective. One of the meanings of lead is “the introductory sentence or initial part of a news story. Lead is a heavy and pliable metal element. The color of the element lead is bright, bluish. The meaning of lead as a verb is to “fill, cover, or affect with lead.” To lead means “to guide or conduct with the hand, or through any physical contact or connection. For example, a kind lady leads a blind man.
The meaning of lead as a noun is a metal element with the following properties. It is malleable, ductile, has little tenacity, and easily tarnished. Lead as a noun is also an ingredient of solder. It has atomic number 82. As an adjective, the meaning of the word lead is “foremost.
As a noun, the word lead has multiple things. It means the foremost position in a ranking or competition. It has another crucial meaning in the context of journalism before the dawn of the computing age. In the mid-20th century, Linotype machines were used in newsrooms to print the newspapers. These machines used lead as thin metal devices. It helped to separate the lines of print in the machine. In this context, lead refers to a thin strip of metal in the 20th-century printing machine.
What is Lede?
The word lead is newspaper slang. English is full of slang, jargon, and other terminologies that appear in specific narrow contexts. Lede has its use in journalism as the introductory paragraph/paragraph(s) of a newspaper or other news article. The word lede is a noun.
The word lede has an interesting history. Its origin dates back in newsrooms between 1950 and 1970. It was used as slang for the introductory sentence of a story at first. In the mid-20th-century, lede was used in the context of newsroom lingo. The Oxford English Dictionary introduced the word lede in the 1950s. The Merriam Webster introduced it around 1970. The noun ‘lede’ is also known as the alternative spelling of ‘lead’ once. In modern use, the noun lede is mainly journalism jargon for the first line or paragraph of a news story.
In brief, “lede” is the introductory and most important portion of an article or story that gives the summary or gist of the story. Lede is primarily or sometimes figuratively used in the phrase “bury the lede.” This phrase means to fail or to emphasize the most important part of a story, to begin a news story with nonessential details. The rhyming word with lede is need.
ConclusionLead and lead are the two competing words that cause regular confusion because they are used as an alternative for each other, but the word lede is an alternative word for lead.
