In computer science, an intermediate language is the language of an abstract machine designed to aid in the analysis of computer programs. The term comes from their use in compilers, where a compiler first translates a program into a form more suitable for code-improving transformations as an intermediate step prior to generating code for the target machine. The design of an intermediate language typically differs from that of a practical machine language in several fundamental ways:

• Each instruction represents exactly one fundamental operation; e.g. "shift-add" addressing modes common in microprocessors are not present,
• The number of registers available may be large (perhaps limitless)
• Flow-of-control information may or may not be included within the instruction set.

A popular format for intermediate languages is three address code.