What is the difference between an interpreted and a compiled language?

The distinction between interpreted and compiled languages lies primarily in how these languages are executed. In the case of interpreted languages, the code is executed line-by-line by an interpreter at runtime. This means that the source code is not transformed into machine code before execution; instead, the interpreter reads and executes the code directly as it runs. This approach allows for more flexibility, as developers can test and adjust code quickly without the need for a separate compilation step.

In contrast, compiled languages require the entire source code to be translated into machine code through a compiler before it can be executed. This pre-processing step generally results in faster execution times since the machine code is ready to run on the hardware without the need for an interpreter.

Thus, the assertion that interpreted languages are not broken into machine instructions beforehand correctly highlights their characteristic of executing code dynamically at runtime, differentiating them from their compiled counterparts.