Pseudocode refers to an informal high-level description of how a computer program functions, making it easier to understand the logic and structure of the code without getting bogged down in the syntax of a specific programming language. It uses plain language and a mixture of programming-like constructs to explain the program's operation at a conceptual level.
This term is particularly useful during the design phase of software development, as it allows programmers to outline their ideas and algorithms clearly and intuitively. Pseudocode serves as a bridge between human thought processes and the technicalities of actual programming, facilitating communication among team members and providing a blueprint for coding.
In contrast, algorithms are well-defined step-by-step procedures for solving a problem, flowcharts are visual diagrams that represent processes or workflows, and source code is the actual written code in a specific programming language that a computer can execute. All of these terms relate to programming but do so in different ways than pseudocode does as a descriptive tool.