What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged. It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.
Why do we use it?
It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here', making it look like readable English. Many desktop publishing packages and web page editors now use Lorem Ipsum as their default model text, and a search for 'lorem ipsum' will uncover many web sites still in their infancy. Various versions have evolved over the years, sometimes by accident, sometimes on purpose (injected humour and the like).
Where does it come from?
Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. It has roots in a piece of classical Latin literature from 45 BC, making it over 2000 years old. Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance. The first line of Lorem Ipsum, "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..", comes from a line in section 1.10.32.
The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" by Cicero are also reproduced in their exact original form, accompanied by English versions from the 1914 translation by H. Rackham.
Where can I get some?
There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don't look even slightly believable. If you are going to use a passage of Lorem Ipsum, you need to be sure there isn't anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text. All the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary, making this the first true generator on the Internet. It uses a dictionary of over 200 Latin words, combined with a handful of model sentence structures, to generate Lorem Ipsum which looks reasonable. The generated Lorem Ipsum is therefore always free from repetition, injected humour, or non-characteristic words etc.
| Start with 'Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet...' | ||||||||||
Common Uses Today
Today, Lorem Ipsum remains the go-to dummy text for designers, developers, and publishers who need realistic-looking content during the design and prototyping stages. It's used in wireframes, mockups, templates, theme previews, and style guides to help stakeholders focus on layout, typography, and user experience rather than the content itself. Because Lorem Ipsum mimics the distribution of letters in natural language, it provides a more accurate visual representation of how a final design will look when populated with real copy.
Tips for Using Lorem Ipsum Safely
While Lorem Ipsum is convenient, there are a few practical considerations to keep in mind when using it in projects:
1. Replace placeholder text before launch — Never ship a public site or printed material containing Lorem Ipsum; it undermines credibility and can confuse users.
2. Check for inadvertent meanings — Some Lorem Ipsum generators mix words or inject jokes; review generated text to avoid accidental or culturally sensitive phrases.
3. Use realistic lengths and variations — Populate designs with a range of paragraph lengths, headings, lists, and captions to test responsiveness and flow across breakpoints.
4. Consider localization early — When designing for multiple languages, test with translated content or realistic language samples to account for expansion and different word lengths.
Alternatives to Lorem Ipsum
If you prefer not to use Latin placeholder text, several alternatives can help you simulate real content:
- Meaningful placeholders: Short phrases like "Headline here" or "Product description" give clearer intent for copywriters.
- Realistic dummy text generators: Tools that produce natural-sounding content in multiple languages or domain-specific text (e.g., legal, medical, ecommerce) provide better context for specialist projects.
- Auto-generated translations: Using machine-translated versions of your actual content can reveal layout shifts and localization issues before final copy is produced.
Conclusion
Lorem Ipsum has earned its place as a practical and enduring tool in design and publishing. When used thoughtfully—paired with realistic content strategies, localization testing, and a final content review—it helps teams iterate quickly without losing sight of usability and aesthetics. Whether you stick with classical Lorem Ipsum or choose an alternative, the goal remains the same: craft layouts that communicate clearly once the real words are in place.