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pseudocode

Informal high-level description of the operating principle of a computer program or other algorithm

EntityQ189224

Subclass of: description
Part of: software development

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

In computer science, pseudocode is a description of the steps in an algorithm using a mix of conventions of programming languages with informal, usually self-explanatory, notation of actions and conditions. Although pseudocode shares features with regular programming languages, it is intended for human reading rather than machine control. Pseudocode typically omits details that are essential for machine implementation of the algorithm, meaning that pseudocode can only be verified by hand. The programming language is augmented with natural language description details, where convenient, or with compact mathematical notation. The reasons for using pseudocode are that it is easier for people to understand than conventional programming language code and that it is an efficient and environment-independent description of the key principles of an algorithm. It is commonly used in textbooks and scientific publications to document algorithms and in planning of software and other algorithms.

Overview

All data

26 statements · 23% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

On other databases

14 identifiers linking pseudocode across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

23%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 1, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). pseudocode (Q189224). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/pseudocode-Q189224