lead paragraph
Story's first section
A lead paragraph is the opening paragraph of a news article or essay, designed to capture the reader's attention and convey the most essential information.
In journalism, the lead typically answers the basic questions—who, what, when, where, why—giving readers the core story immediately: The lead paragraph told you everything you needed to know.
Also called a lede, an alternate spelling journalists use to distinguish it from the metal lead used in typesetting.
- openingGap or start
- opening lineInitial sentence of text
- hookCurved catching device
- introBrief opening section
- ledeNews story opening
headline · inverted pyramid · summary · thesis · grabber · teaser · newsworthy · hard news · soft news · byline · dateline · news story · story · news article · article · journalism · reporter · editor
- journalismreporters, interview, editors, student editors, school paper
- student mediastudent newspaper, school newspaper, campus paper, school paper, student press
- openersbottle opener, can opener, corkscrew, church key, churchkey
- journalism termsheadline, headlines, byline, bylines, lede
- paragraph typesintroduction, conclusion
- press releasespress release, news release, press statement, announcement, communique
lead paragraphboilerplate
Standardized reusable text
body paragraph · filler · supporting detail · fine print · footnote
lead, paragraph, leads, leading, leader, leaders, leadership, mislead, misleading