Definition — What is a Pseudocode?

The term Pseudocode is an informal high-level description of the operating principle of a computer program or other algorithm. It uses the structural conventions of a normal programming language but is intended for human reading rather than machine reading. It's also referred to as Program Definition Language (PDL). Words or symbols can be used to represent pseudocode, however, the key to good pseudocode is to explain what exactly each line of a program should do, hence making the code construction phase easier for the programmer.

Pseudocode is sometimes used as a detailed step in the process of developing complex programs.  It helps developers develop a strategy for building a program or an algorithm before they start writing actual code. As the first step, program description and functionality are gathered, and then pseudocode is used to create statements to achieve the required results for a program. Detailed pseudocode is inspected and verified by the designer’s team or programmers to match design specifications. Catching errors or wrong program flow at the pseudocode stage is beneficial for development as it is less costly than catching them later. Once the pseudocode is accepted by the team, it cannot be directly executed or compiled by any compiler, interpreter, or assembler. The developer rewrites it using the vocabulary and syntax of a programming language to a deliverable programming code.