fake book

noun

A collection of musical lead sheets intended to help a performer quickly learn new songs.

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Meanings

nounfake book (plural fake books)

plural fake books · alternative fakebook

  1. entertainmentA collection of musical lead sheets intended to help a performer quickly learn new songs.

    Contemporary popular music tends to be specific in indicating slash cords, while older fake books generally indicate only root chord names.

    1986, Michael Esterowitz, How to Play from a Fake Book, Ekay Music, →ISBN, page 34
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see fake, book.

Origin

From fake (verb) + book, since a fake book helps a musician to "fake" knowing how to play a song.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 歌曲集
  • 歌曲集 (gēqǔjí)collection of musical lead sheets
Finnish fake book
  • fake bookcollection of musical lead sheets
Cite this entry
APA

fake book. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fake%20book

MLA

“fake book.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fake%20book. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “fake book,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/fake%20book.

Source: fake book on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.