Definition: Lede is an editorial slang term for lead. The lede is the first section of a story. A lede can be a sentence, a paragraph or, occasionally, a few paragraphs. Since that first paragraph is what initially draws readers into a story, it's essential to be able to craft a great lede.
The word lede, along with a number of other purposely misspelled words, is something you might hear an editor say or write on a story. Lede is a word an editor might use to refer to the lead in your story and if that editor wrote the word down, he might use the newsroom slang spelling of lede.
Pronunciation: lead