Lead has two different pronunciations and several different meanings, usually related to either the chemical element lead

Lead

Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...

 (a heavy metal) or the verb to lead.

When pronounced ˈ (rhymes with "bed")

With this pronunciation, "lead" refers to:

• Lead
  Lead
  Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
  
  , the chemical element
• Pencil
  Pencil
  A pencil is a writing implement or art medium usually constructed of a narrow, solid pigment core inside a protective casing. The case prevents the core from breaking, and also from marking the user’s hand during use....
  
   lead, which is actually graphite
  Graphite
  The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
  
   but appears similar to oxidized lead metal
• Sounding line
  Sounding line
  A sounding line or lead line is a length of thin rope with a plummet, generally of lead, at its end. Regardless of the actual composition of the plummet, it is still called a "lead."...
  
   or lead line ("the lead"), to measure water depth, in navigation

The past tense of the verb to lead is led, pronounced ˈ. It is often misspelled as lead.

See also:

• Leading
  Leading
  In typography, leading refers to the distance between the baselines of successive lines of type. The term originated in the days of hand-typesetting, when thin strips of lead were inserted into the formes to increase the vertical distance between lines of type...
  
   in typography

When pronounced ˈ (rhymes with "need")

With this pronunciation, "lead" generally means "first", "ahead", or "guide":

Science and technology

• Lead, the amount of distance aimed in front of a moving target, also known as deflection
  Deflection (military)
  Deflection is a technique used for effectively firing a ranged weapon at a moving target, that describes "leading the target"; that is, shooting ahead of a moving target so that the target and projectile will collide...
  
  
• Lead compound
  Lead compound
  A lead compound in drug discovery is a chemical compound that has pharmacological or biological activity and whose chemical structure is used as a starting point for chemical modifications in order to improve potency, selectivity, or pharmacokinetic parameters.Lead compounds are often found in...
  
  , a chemical compound in drug discovery (not necessarily with lead the metal)
• Lead (electronics)
  Lead (electronics)
  In electronics, a lead is an electrical connection consisting of a length of wire or soldering pad that comes from a device. Leads are used for physical support, to transfer power, to probe circuits , and to transmit information...
  
  , a metallic wire for electrical devices and equipments
• Waveforms lead, the same as phase shift
• Lead (engineering)
  Lead (engineering)
  Lead is the axial advance of a helix or screw during one complete turn The lead for a screw thread is the axial travel for a single revolution....
  
  
• Lead (geology)
  Lead (geology)
  A lead in hydrocarbon exploration, is a subsurface structural or stratigraphic feature with the potential to have entrapped oil or natural gas. When exploring a new area, or when new data becomes available in existing acreage, an explorer will carry out an initial screening to identify possible leads...
  
  , a subsurface feature with the potential to have entrapped oil or gas
• Lead (sea ice)
  Lead (sea ice)
  Leads are stretches of open water within fields of sea ice. Leads are caused by movements of the ice due to wind, or to currents in the underlying water, and may open and close again within a brief period; alternatively they may remain open more or less permanently...
  
  , a temporary stretch of open water in arctic ice
• Lead-lag compensator
  Lead-lag compensator
  A lead–lag compensator is a component in a control system that improves an undesirable frequency response in a feedback and control system. It is a fundamental building block in classical control theory.- Applications :...
  
  , a component in a control system
• Lead (steam engine), a valve timing
  Valve timing
  In a piston engine, the valve timing is the precise timing of the opening and closing of the valves.In four-stroke cycle engines and some two-stroke cycle engines, the valve timing is controlled by the camshaft. It can be varied by modifying the camshaft, or it can be varied during engine operation...
  
   parameter

Performing arts

• Leading actor
  Leading actor
  A leading actor, leading actress, star, or simply lead, plays the role of the protagonist in a film or play. The word lead may also refer to the largest role in the piece and leading actor may refer to a person who typically plays such parts or an actor with a respected body of work...
  
  /actress
• Lead and follow, the direction or guidance one dance partner communicates to the other

Music theory

• Lead instrument
  Lead instrument
  Lead instrument is the name given to someone who is the most advanced player of their instrument in their ensemble. This is also referred to as the first chair, principal, first position, or first ....
  
  , such as lead guitar
  Lead guitar
  Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
  
  
• Lead sheet
  Lead sheet
  A lead sheet is a form of music notation that specifies the essential elements of a popular song: the melody, lyrics and harmony. The melody is written in modern Western music notation, the lyric is written as text below the staff and the harmony is specified with chord symbols above the...
  
  
• Lead vocalist
  Lead vocalist
  The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
  
  
• Leading-tone
  Leading-tone
  In music theory, a leading-note is a note or pitch which resolves or "leads" to a note one semitone higher or lower, being a lower and upper leading-tone, respectively....
  
   or leading-note
• Voice leading
  Voice leading
  In musical composition, voice leading is the term used to refer to a decision-making consideration when arranging voices , namely, how each voice should move in advancing from each chord to the next.- Details :...
  
  

Writing and journalism

• Lead paragraph
  Lead paragraph
  A lead paragraph in literature refers to the opening paragraph of an article, essay, news story or book chapter. Often called just "the lead", it usually occurs together with the headline or title, it precedes the main body of the article, and it gives the reader the main idea of the story.In the...
  
  , the opening paragraph of an article
• Lead (news) (or lede), the leading news story or leading part of a news story
• News lead
  Journalism sourcing
  In journalism, a source is a person, publication, or other record or document that gives timely information. Outside journalism, sources are sometimes known as "news sources"...
  
  , a tip or clue that may lead to the uncovering of newsworthy information

Animals

• Lead (leash)
• Lead (tack)
  Lead (tack)
  A lead, lead line, lead rope or head collar rope , is used to lead an animal such as a horse. Usually, it is attached to a halter. The lead may be integral to the halter or, more often, separate. When separate, it is attached to the halter with a heavy clip or snap so that it can be added or...
  
  
• Lead (leg)
  Lead (leg)
  Lead refers to which set of legs, left or right, leads or advances forward to a greater extent when a quadruped animal is cantering, galloping, or leaping. The feet on the leading side touch the ground forward of its partner. On the "left lead", the animal's left legs lead...
  
  , the leg that advances most in a quadruped's cantering or galloping stride

Other uses

• Lead, the first part of Hangul
  Hangul
  Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...
  
   syllable, the same as syllable onset or "initial"
• Lead off
  Lead off
  In baseball, the term lead off or lead-off has two distinct meanings:- On the bases :In baseball, to lead off, or to take a lead, refers to the position a baserunner takes just prior to a pitch, a short distance away from the base he occupies. A "lead" can also refer to that distance. A typical...
  
  , in baseball, a baserunner's position from the base he occupies
• Lead (band)
  Lead (band)
  Lead is a Japanese hip-hop group, under the Record of Pony Canyon/ Flight Master. Their debut was on July 31, 2002 with their single Manatsu no Magic .-Biography:...
  
  
• Lead, South Dakota
  Lead, South Dakota
  Lead is a city in Lawrence County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 3,124 at the 2010 census. Lead is located in western South Dakota, in the Black Hills near the Wyoming state line.-History:...
  
   , a city in the United States
• Honda Lead - scooter