What Is a Lede, in the Dictionary's Words?
A lede is the opening of a news story, usually its first sentence or paragraph, written to state the most important news and make the reader continue.
Merriam-Webster defines lede as “the introductory section of a news story that is intended to entice the reader to read the full story” and records it as an “alteration of lead” (Merriam-Webster). The two spellings mean the same thing in journalism. “Lead” remains common in textbooks and style guides; “lede” is newsroom jargon that has spread into general use, mostly through the phrase “bury the lede.”
For PR, the lede matters twice. It is the opening a journalist writes about you, and it is the opening paragraph of your own press release, which a reporter reads to decide whether there is a story.
The Lede at a Glance
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The introductory section of a news story | Merriam-Webster |
| Spelling | Lede or lead; lede is an alteration of lead | Merriam-Webster |
| Typical length | One sentence; published ceilings range from about 25 to 35 words | Global Voices; Hiro |
| What it should contain | The main news, usually with at least three of the five Ws and H | Telg and Lundy, quoted in Hiro |
| Main types | News leads (basic, summary, delayed-identification) and feature leads (anecdotal, scene-setter and others) | Hiro |
| Common fault | Burying the lede: placing the key fact below less important material | Merriam-Webster |
Why It Is Spelled “Lede”
The usual explanation is typographic. Merriam-Webster says spelling the word “lede” helped copy editors and typesetters distinguish it from “lead” pronounced like the metal, which also named the thin strip separating lines of type in a Linotype machine (Merriam-Webster). Its article says its earliest examples of the spelling date from the 1970s, “around the time that Linotype machines began disappearing from newsrooms,” and that the dictionary did not enter “lede” until 2008.
The dates are not fully settled even within Merriam-Webster. Its dictionary entry gives a first known use of 1947 (Merriam-Webster), while the article describes 1970s examples as its earliest. The article also reports the view of writer Howard Owens that the spelling is a nostalgic invention, not something used in the Linotype era. Either spelling is correct; pick one and use it consistently.
Types of Lede
Journalism textbooks divide ledes into news leads, which deliver the main fact at once, and feature leads, which open with a scene, story or surprising line before reaching the point. Erin Hiro's open textbook lists the basic news lead, the summary lead and the delayed-identification lead as news leads, and the anecdotal or narrative, direct-address, scene-setter, blind, startling-statement and wordplay leads as feature leads (Hiro).
Classification from the lead types described in Hiro's textbook, not a measurement
Source: Erin Hiro, Broccoli and Chocolate: A Beginner's Guide to Journalism News Writing, Chapter 8: Leads.
Bar lengths are our ordinal ranking of the textbook's descriptions, from most to least direct. They are categories, not measured quantities.
A press release almost always needs a basic news lead or a summary lead. Feature leads suit profiles, op-eds and long reads; for those formats see what an op-ed is and how to write and place an op-ed.
How Long a Lede Should Be
Guidance converges on one sentence of roughly 25 to 35 words. Hiro's textbook quotes Ricky Telg and Lisa Lundy recommending “no more than 25 words” and at least three of the five Ws and H (Hiro). The Global Voices editorial guide says “Leads should be no longer than 35 words” and quotes the AP as telling reporters that past 20 to 25 words “it's time to start trimming” (Global Voices).
Maximum words in a lead sentence, as stated in each guide
Source: Global Voices, “Tips for Writing Leads” (updated November 2, 2015); Erin Hiro, Broccoli and Chocolate, Chapter 8: Leads (Palomar College Pressbooks).
The AP figure is a threshold for trimming, quoted second-hand by Global Voices; we could not read the AP Stylebook, which requires a subscription. The bar for the AP uses the upper end of its range. These are guidance figures, not measurements of published stories.
Word counts are a symptom. A long lede usually means the writer has not decided which fact matters most. The same discipline applies to pitches: journalist Meredith Klein told a Muck Rack webinar that she distills client pitches into three quick sentences, and Muck Rack reports that 69% of journalists prefer pitches under 200 words (Muck Rack).
How to Write a Lede for a Press Release
A release lede follows the dateline and states the whole news in one sentence. These steps are our method; the examples are invented for illustration.
- Find the single most important fact. Ask what a reader would need to know if they read nothing else. That fact is the news hook.
- Lead with the actor and the action. “Acme Health today opened a 40-bed clinic in Dayton” works. “Acme Health, a leader in innovative care solutions, is pleased to announce” does not.
- Add when, where and why it matters. Keep the who, what, when and where; the why can be a clause.
- Cut adjectives and titles. Move full job titles, product taglines and secondary details to the second paragraph.
- Count the words. If you are past 35, split the sentence and move the second half down.
- Check it matches the headline. EIN Presswire requires that “the news announcement must be clearly stated in the headline” (EIN Presswire); the lede should repeat that news in fuller form.
The rest of the release structure is in how to write a press release, and the closing paragraph in how to write a company boilerplate.
What “Burying the Lede” Means
To bury the lede is to place the most important fact below less important material. Merriam-Webster's dictionary entry illustrates it with a quotation about coverage that led with one statistic when, the writer argued, the bigger news was elsewhere (Merriam-Webster). In releases, the usual cause is a lede that opens with the company's description, a quote or background, leaving the news for paragraph three.
The test is simple: read only the first sentence. If it does not tell a stranger what happened, the lede is buried. For coverage about you that buries or distorts the key fact, a factual error can be raised with the outlet; see how to request a correction. A lede you merely dislike is an editorial choice, not an error.
Ledes in Pitches
A pitch has a lede too: its first sentence. Because many journalists read only the opening lines, the pitch lede should state the news and why it fits the reporter's coverage. On Muck Rack's 2026 webinar panel, journalist Meredith Klein said a pitch “should be of interest and value to the publication's audience” (Muck Rack). Our guide to pitching a journalist by email covers subject lines and follow-ups, and press release vs pitch email explains when each document is the right one.
Lede vs Related Terms
| Term | What it is | Relationship to the lede |
|---|---|---|
| Headline | The title above the story | Written separately, often by an editor; the lede expands it |
| Dateline | The place and, in releases, date that open the story | Comes immediately before the lede; see what a dateline is |
| Nut graf | A paragraph explaining why the story matters | Follows a feature lede; a news lede often does both jobs |
| Inverted pyramid | Structure with the most important facts first | The lede is the top of the pyramid |
| News hook | The timely reason to run the story | Usually stated in the lede; see what a news hook is |
| Standfirst or dek | A summary line between headline and story | A display element, separate from the lede |
Common Misconceptions About Ledes
| Myth | What the sources say | Source |
|---|---|---|
| “Lede” is a misspelling | Merriam-Webster lists it as a standard entry, an alteration of lead | Merriam-Webster |
| The spelling dates from the Linotype era | Merriam-Webster's article puts its earliest examples in the 1970s, as Linotype was disappearing; its entry gives 1947 | Merriam-Webster |
| A lede must answer all five Ws and H | Telg and Lundy suggest at least three | Hiro |
| Every story needs a hard-news lede | Textbooks list several feature leads for non-breaking stories | Hiro |
| Longer ledes are more complete | Published ceilings sit between about 25 and 35 words | Global Voices |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a lede in simple terms?
It is the opening of a news story, usually the first sentence, that states the most important news. Merriam-Webster defines it as the introductory section of a news story intended to entice the reader to read the full story.
Is it lede or lead?
Both are correct. Merriam-Webster lists lede as an alteration of lead. Many textbooks still use lead; newsrooms and the phrase bury the lede popularized lede.
Why is lede spelled that way?
Merriam-Webster says the spelling helped newsroom staff distinguish it from lead, the metal strip between lines of type. Its earliest examples date from the 1970s, though its dictionary entry gives a first known use of 1947.
How long should a lede be?
Usually one sentence. Telg and Lundy recommend no more than 25 words, Global Voices sets a 35-word ceiling, and the AP reportedly tells reporters to start trimming past 20 to 25 words.
What does bury the lede mean?
It means putting the most important fact below less important material, so the reader has to dig for the news.
Does a press release need a lede?
Yes. The first paragraph after the dateline should state the whole news in one sentence, matching the headline, so a journalist can judge the story at a glance.
Sources and Methodology
This explainer is built from Merriam-Webster's dictionary entry and Wordplay article on lede, Erin Hiro's open journalism textbook, the Global Voices editorial guide, Muck Rack's published webinar FAQ and recap and EIN Presswire's editorial guidelines, all read on October 10, 2026. Definitions and length figures are quoted from those pages. We could not read the AP Stylebook, which requires a subscription, so the AP length figure is the one Global Voices attributes to the AP and is marked as second-hand. The lede-type ranking in the first chart, the writing steps and the example sentences are our own. We did not measure the length of published ledes.
- reference lede, Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Read October 10, 2026.
- reference Why do we ‘bury the lede?’, Merriam-Webster Wordplay. Read October 10, 2026.
- reference Chapter 8: Leads, in Broccoli and Chocolate: A Beginner's Guide to Journalism News Writing, Erin Hiro, Palomar College Pressbooks, CC BY 4.0 open textbook. Read October 10, 2026.
- trade Tips for Writing Leads, Global Voices editorial guide for authors, updated November 2, 2015. Read October 10, 2026.
- vendor research Social listening, pitching on LinkedIn and more: FAQs from Muck Rack's State of Journalism, Muck Rack Blog, Kristen Dunleavy, last updated April 16, 2026. Read October 10, 2026.
- vendor research Two comms experts and a journalist explore Muck Rack's State of Journalism 2026, Muck Rack Blog, Kristen Dunleavy, last updated April 9, 2026. Report based on responses from nearly 1,100 journalists, per Muck Rack. Muck Rack sells PR software. Read October 10, 2026.
- vendor EIN Presswire Editorial Guidelines, EIN Presswire. Read October 10, 2026.