What lorem ipsum is for
Lorem ipsum is nonsense Latin-looking text used by designers, developers and publishers to fill a layout before the real copy exists. Readers who see a mock-up with real sentences tend to read and judge the words instead of the design. Text that looks like language but carries no meaning keeps attention on typography, spacing and structure. It is the standard placeholder for websites, brochures, slide decks and app screens.
Where it comes from
The passage traces back to a work by the Roman writer Cicero, De finibus bonorum et malorum, written in 45 BC. A typesetter in the printing trade scrambled and shortened parts of it to make a specimen text, and the opening words "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" became the industry standard, popularised on transfer sheets in the 1960s and then in desktop publishing software. Many of the words are altered, which is why it reads like Latin but is not meaningful Latin.
How this generator works
It draws words at random from a list of classic lorem ipsum vocabulary and assembles them into sentences of eight to seventeen words, with an occasional comma. Paragraphs have three to six sentences. Every press of Generate creates fresh text, so two outputs rarely match. With the "Start with" option on, the first sentence begins with the traditional opening line. Choose words, sentences or paragraphs, and the HTML option wraps paragraphs in <p> tags for pasting into markup.
Tips for using placeholder text
- Match the amount of text to what you expect in the final design. Too little makes layouts look neat but unrealistic.
- Use realistic content for headings, buttons and navigation where possible. Placeholder is best for body copy.
- Remember to replace it all before launch. Search your site for "lorem ipsum" before publishing, since leftover filler harms credibility and may be indexed by search engines.
- Test with long words and short words as well as lorem ipsum, since real text has uneven line breaks.
The generator uses your browser's secure random source, runs offline once loaded and sends nothing anywhere.