# prelude

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈpɹɛljuːd/ · frequency rank #19,670

## Definitions
1. An introductory or preliminary performance or event.
2. A short, free-form piece of music, originally one serving as an introduction to a longer and more complex piece; later, starting with the Romantic period, generally a stand-alone piece.
3. A standard module or library of subroutines and functions to be imported, generally by default, into a program.
4. A forerunner to anything.

## Etymology
From Middle French prélude (“singing to test a musical instrument”), from Medieval Latin preludium, from Latin praelūdere.

## Easily confused with
- **prude** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prelude-vs-prude)
- **presume** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prelude-vs-presume)
- **preside** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prelude-vs-preside)
- **precede** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/precede-vs-prelude)
- **prelate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/prelate-vs-prelude)
- **preclude** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/preclude-vs-prelude)

## Common misspellings (10)
`perlude`, `pprelude`, `preldue`, `prellude`, `preludde`, `prelued`, `preulde`, `prleude`, `prrelude`, `rpelude`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/prelude