When you land on a sample web page or open an email template and see content beginning with "lorem ipsum," the page creator placed that apparent gibberish there on purpose.
Page layouts look better with something in each section. Web page designers, content writers, and layout artists use lorem ipsum, also known as placeholder copy, to distinguish which areas on a page will hold advertisements, editorials, and filler before the final written content and website designs receive client approval.
Fun Lorem Ipsum text may appear in any size and font to simulate everything you create for your campaigns.
The standard lorem ipsum passage has been a printer's friend for centuries. Like stock photos today, it served as a placeholder for actual content. The original text comes from Cicero's philosophical work "De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum," written in 45 BC.
The use of the lorem ipsum passage dates back to the 1500s. When printing presses required painstaking hand-setting of type, workers needed something to show clients how their pages would look. To save time, they turned to Cicero's words, creating sample books filled with preset paragraphs.
However, it wasn't until the 1960s that the passage became common when Letraset revolutionized the advertising industry with its transfer sheets. These innovative sheets allowed designers to apply pre-printed lorem ipsum text in various fonts and formats directly onto their mockups and prototypes.
What does Lorem Ipsum text say?
Printers in the 1500s scrambled the words from Cicero's "De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum'' after mixing the words in each sentence. The familiar "lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" text emerged when 16th-century printers adapted Cicero's original work, beginning with the phrase "dolor sit amet consectetur."
They abbreviated "dolorem" (meaning "pain") to "lorem," which carries no meaning in Latin. "Ipsum" translates to "itself," and the text frequently includes phrases such as "consectetur adipiscing elit" and "ut labore et dolore." These Latin fragments, derived from Cicero's philosophical treatise, were rearranged to create the standard dummy text that has become a fundamental tool in design and typography across generations.
The short answer is that lorem ipsum text doesn't actually "say" anything meaningful. It's deliberately scrambled Latin that doesn't form coherent sentences. While it comes from Cicero's "De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum," the text has been modified so extensively that it's nonsensical.
Why scrambled text? That's exactly the point. By using text that's unreadable but maintains the general pattern of regular writing — including normal word length, spacing, and punctuation — designers can focus on the visual elements of a layout without the actual content getting in the way. The pseudo-Latin appearance gives it a natural feel while ensuring it won't distract from the design itself.
Why use a lorem ipsum generator?
If everyone used the identical lorem ipsum copy, search engines would flag it for plagiarism and downgrade the site for its lack of helpful content for the reader. However, when you send sample layouts filled with fun lorem ipsum to your customers, they will focus on the look and feel of the page instead of digging into and arguing about the content. Nevertheless, lorem ipsum generators do not spew a random bank of words and paragraphs.
A/B testing copy
Dummy text sections filled with fun lorem ipsum make it easier to swap out one web page, letter, or email version with another. For example, in a Mailchimp bulk email campaign, send these multiple versions during A/B testing to discover which call to action garners the desired response.
In addition, placeholder text stands out when eyeballed, ensuring that you overwrite the correct paragraphs before updating and reissuing past appeals. Your lorem ipsum generator can also provide multiple versions of a section of text on a single page surrounding the real test message.
Wireframes, mockups, and prototypes
When your page includes dedicated advertising and editorial slots that do not vary from issue to issue, using dummy copy allows you to preserve the total possible letter or word count. Blocking out that space in your Mailchimp wireframe or mockup ahead of time will enable you to create banners, buttons, and headers to help announce and maintain your brand and highlight the page or email's flavor or "voice."
Avoiding offensive lorem ipsum content
Tossing your favorite band or singer's song lyrics into a translator to generate lorem ipsum may sometimes produce offensive content. To avoid this, remove vulgar or explicit words from the original, uncensored lyrics before running them through the translator to create your word bank.
Use the "find and replace" feature in your favorite online word-processing program to make this easier. Then, load your cleaned-up sample text into a generic random text generator and set the number of words or lines of necessary placeholder text for your layout.
Your traditional lorem ipsum passage might look like:
"Lorem ipsum quia dolor sit porro quisquam est qui amet consectetur adipisci, sed quia duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit dolore magna aliqua, porro quisquan est qui nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodo. Culpa quia officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
However, modern generators let you add personality to your placeholder text while maintaining the same benefits. From pirate speak to cupcake ingredients, these specialized generators help your mockups feel more aligned with your brand's tone and industry. Here are some creative alternatives:
1. Pirate ipsum
The randomized scurvy dog Pirate Ipsum text generator already exists for those who publish nautical or pirate-related content. Select your words per sentence, number of sentences per paragraph, and the total number of sections, and click "Get Me Ipsum" to obtain a screed in pirate slang. For example, you could use it before updating the landing page for the Blessing of the Fleet in Biloxi, Mississippi.
2. Cupcake ipsum
Do you own a bakery or cake decorating business? Then Cupcake Ipsum will provide a layer of paragraphs with a pastry chef in mind. This dummy text generator includes words like halvah, tiramisu, macaroon, and other confections that allow you to be sure that your sugary placeholder message resonates with your marketing department.
3. Hipsum
Do you prefer a long pour of irony with your dummy text? Have you single-handedly helped gentrify your neighborhood? Do you sell craft beer and artisan bread with your own hand-mixed container garden herb pesto? Then Jason Cosper's Hipster Ipsum generator will provide you with the gastropub mumblecore your email marketing campaign needs.
4. Bob Ross ipsum
Are you an artist or crafter? Do you miss the soft-spoken, soothing words of Bob Ross as he painted happy little trees, cabins, and waterfalls? Then enter the number of paragraphs of dummy text you need, add the minimum and maximum Bob Ross quotes per paragraph, and click the "Go Crazy!" button.
If you feel exceptionally lazy, you can even add
tags to your placeholder content. Leave those out if you intend to translate your Bob Ross Ipsum before using it in your web page designs.
5. Corporate ipsum
If you prefer your incoherence in English, press "generate!". You will receive up to 100 paragraphs of the most incomprehensible corporate jargon to ever grace a quarterly report.
No need to run this industrial disaster through a translator. If you did, the algorithm would run screaming into a corner, rocking and sucking its thumb drive.
Take care, however. Using Corporate Ipsum may backfire. Middle managers with a penchant for using the words "agile" and "disruptive" in every Zoom meeting might think your dummy text should be this quarter's call to action.
6. Blind text generator
Why limit yourself to Cicero if you use someone else's words as your placeholder content? Why limit yourself to Cicero? Try Kafka's wry humor and piercing irony instead.
In addition to a paragraph limit of 99 and a 9,999-word count, you can enable
tags, change the font, letter spacing, and alignment, use bold, underline, and strike-through text, change font families, and capitalize or lower-case everything. Set this Blind Text Generator to Pangram, which makes Jabberwocky look sensible.
7. Free Formatter lorem ipsum generator
Free Formatter specifies that their Lorem Ipsum generator costs nothing. However, you may only select up to 50 paragraphs, 250 sentences or list items, and up to 5000 words. If you choose "yes" in the drop-down menu, your sample content will include
tags. Google Translate considers the resulting sample content to be Latin.
8. Lorem ipsum: Generator, origins, and meaning
This multilingual random filler copy tool generates dummy paragraphs in five languages: English, German, Spanish, French, and Cyrillic. Enter the desired number of sections, then click on the Generate Copy buttons. You can generate up to 99 paragraphs.
9. DeLorean Ipsum Text Generator
Fans of the movie Back to the Future or classic car lovers will get a belly laugh from this random filler copy generator. Select up to 9 paragraphs, sentences, or words. You can enter higher numbers, but the page will crash if you do not limit your aspirations.
10. Skate ipsum
Do you own a skateboard shop selling customized decks? Have you perfected your Ollie and need a place to post your gnarliest face plant? Do you need placeholder text for your upcoming inventory reduction sale on the past year's unsold custom order skateboard designs? Allow Skate Ipsum to provide the sickest coffin ride you've ever taken. Land up to 20 paragraphs, choose a stance: text, HTML, or JSON, and click Shred to generate the filler you need.
11. Fairy tale ipsum
Across the pond lives web developer Armon Bigham, lover of coffee and creator of the magical Fairy Tale Ipsum Generator. Enter a plea for up to 20 paragraphs, slide the Fairy Tale Start or Fairy Tale End buttons and click Generate. Remember, sorcerers need their power source close at hand, so click the Buy Me a Coffee button if you live happily ever after using the resulting dummy text everywhere.
12. Cool generator random text generator
Try Cool Generator. This random text generator allows you to select one of fifteen languages, three dummy text lengths, and two formats: plain text and HTML. Click generate and rearrange the paragraphs to suit your needs. For best results, create some dummy copy in the other fourteen languages before mixing and matching your lorem ipsum paragraphs.
13. Pseudo-scientific jargon generator
Boasting 1,028,160 possible paragraphs, creator David Barrows trolls those he calls "crystal-worshiping New Agers." Refresh the page to generate additional sections using the Pseudo-scientific Jargon Generator. Troll your conspiracy theory-spouting uncle at your next holiday gathering.
14. Random foodie menu generator
If you run a food truck, restaurant, or cafe, this random menu generator will take the guesswork out of making sure every ingredient plays three or more roles in your menu. Click the Randomize again button to receive a menu item description. Attempt to create the stated dish. If you succeed, add it to your open menu, web page, and social media posts.
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How do I create my own lorem ipsum text?
First, you need a word bank: words and phrases that will provide the possible sentences and paragraphs you can create.
Use the find and replace tool in your preferred online word-processing program. You can select your favorite blocks of text, including conversations from your direct messaging app, pages from favorite childhood books, song lyrics, or even a collection of social media posts and discussions.
Next, search the text for offensive words and phrases before running it through a translation tool if you wish to produce a Latin version. Finally, translate before scrambling the text using any listed random dummy text generators.
Check out a few lorem ipsum samples below.
Country music
Country road tractor pickup beer wine whisky truck ticks banjo fiddle Devil farm pasture cattle dog hound blue tick hunting gun rabbit squirrel honky-tonk bull ride tar shack barn hay bale wife left blue jeans badonkadonk Jolene Rocky Top Tennessee Alabama, Carolina Indiana Mississippi cornfields truck stops diner deals long haul big rigs CB boot scoot hoedown county fair slow down farm stands junior fairs hog tying grange halls feed store catalog Memphis moonshine hammer down white lines quilting bees shivarees hardy souls bean poles chicken feed chickweed duck ponds savings bonds canning jam smoking ham tractor pulls in bandstands poke weed take heed cabin life milkweed lost loves white doves barrel racing stock chasing branding irons and radio stations Patsy Cline cherry wine farm life whittling knife.
Artist in residence
Paint tray watercolor stretched frame oil pastel primary colors sketchbook paintbrush, marker crayon pencil charcoal ink mandala gallery art show miniature portrait wall art spritz sprinkle spatter spray paint graffiti palette sculpting tools potter's wheel ceramic mugs resin earrings findings gild hammer twist smear pour burn braid macramé tie knots weave cut paste glue mash wash rinse gel gesso armature build create inspire fill crop resize enter lifetime maker space piece arrange
Christmas list
Holiday mince pie candle carol lullaby gift wrap Advent wreath eggnog fast asleep kerchief cap and nightgown Santa sleigh all over town chimney slide rooftop Dasher Dancer spinning top Prancer Vixen candy cane Donder Blitzen toy airplane bicycle Teddy bear bows for little Suzie's hair decorations light strings RC cars and fairy wings plum pudding cherry tarts fruit cake go-karts angels dolls and drummer boys puzzles, church bells five gold rings duck goose pheasant beef candied yams, and taffy teeth open gifts Christmas Day midnight mass school holiday winter snow ice skates snowman building roof rakes.
Book passages
Select a few pages from your favorite book. Then, using the text-to-speak feature on your phone, laptop, or tablet, read each page aloud to create your word bank. Eliminate duplicate words and phrases. If desired, run your word bank through Google Translate. Then load your word bank into a generic placeholder text generator.
Assembly instruction sheets
Mix the words from all the owner's manuals, or you can use assembly instruction sheets. Use the results to create challenging dummy text. If you wish, you might reward readers who recognize the manuals that birthed your beloved bespoke lorem ipsum.
Seek feedback
Once you add your lorem ipsum to your mockup and prototype pages, emails, and advertising copy, ask for feedback on font size, column height, width, and placement on the page. Because Lorem Ipsum is essentially gibberish, your alpha and beta testers will provide more helpful feedback regarding features you need to change.
Once you have fine-tuned your web page, ad campaign, email blitz, or an ebook, remove all remaining lorem ipsum. A randomized generator that uses strike-through text, such as the Blind Text Generator, simplifies recognizing dummy text. You successfully launch your accurate content when you do not see any strike-throughs after your final edit.
How to eliminate lorem ipsum: Pay a bounty
Hold a Lorem Ipsum scavenger hunt on your newly-launched website after any updates. Provide cash or prizes to all users who highlight any Lorem Ipsum text your final edits missed. Do the same for missing, misused, or misspelled words. Your web page analytics will skyrocket as these grammatical and stylistic errors disappear, and your opening rates, conversions, and profits will soar.
Visit each of the Lorem Ipsum generators listed and test them for yourself. Use each to create separate web pages, emails, ads, and social media posts. Keep trying each generator until you feel comfortable using it. When ready, create themes and templates to sell to fellow content creators.
As design tools evolve, the role of placeholder text is changing. AI-powered tools now offer alternatives to traditional lorem ipsum, generating context-specific filler text that matches the tone and style of the final content. For example, if you're designing a recipe website, AI can create food-related placeholder text that feels more relevant than Latin phrases.
However, this shift toward AI-generated text raises important considerations about accessibility and inclusive design. Screen readers can struggle with nonsensical text, whether classical lorem ipsum or AI-generated alternatives. Many designers now advocate for using real draft content earlier in the design process, ensuring their layouts work for all users from the start.
Despite these new trends, lorem ipsum isn't going away anytime soon. Its neutrality and long-standing familiarity make it a reliable choice for placeholder text that won't distract from the design. The key is knowing when to use lorem ipsum and when to opt for more contextual or accessible alternatives based on your project's specific needs.
Replacing lorem ipsum with authenticity
While lorem ipsum placeholder text has served designers well for centuries, many are now shifting toward more authentic approaches to design.
Lorem ipsum remains valuable for quick mockups and initial layouts but has limitations. When designers use real content early in the process, they often discover design challenges that placeholder text might mask. Font choices, line lengths, and content hierarchy become clearer when working with actual copy rather than dummy text.
The benefits of lorem ipsum generators are clear: they provide neutral, non-distracting text that helps clients focus on design elements rather than content. They're perfect for rapid prototyping and prevent premature criticism of unfinished copy.
However, modern design practices increasingly emphasize authentic, user-centered approaches. Using real content early in the design process can reveal potential issues with content structure, readability, and user flow. This shift doesn't mean abandoning lorem ipsum entirely but strategically using it alongside actual content during the process.
Whether starting with lorem ipsum or diving straight into real content, the right tools make all the difference. With Mailchimp's design features, you can easily transition from mockups to polished, professional designs that connect with your audience.
Key Takeaways
- Lorem ipsum started as a printer's shortcut and remains a fundamental tool for designers who need to showcase layouts without the distraction of real content.
- Modern lorem ipsum generators offer variety beyond traditional Latin text, from industry-specific content to themed text that matches your brand's voice.
- While still valuable for rapid prototyping, designers are increasingly balancing lorem ipsum with real content earlier in the design process to create more user-friendly layouts.
- Design tools and platforms make it easier than ever to move from placeholder text to polished, customer-ready content that engages your audience.