Generate placeholder text for your designs and mockups.
Lorem Ipsum is placeholder text used in the design, publishing, and web development industries. It provides a way to visualize how content will look without the distraction of meaningful text. The standard Lorem Ipsum passage has been used since the 1500s, making it the oldest and most recognized placeholder text in the world.
The text is derived from "De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil), written by the Roman philosopher Cicero in 45 BC. A printer in the 1500s scrambled the text to create a type specimen book, and it has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since.
When you use real content during design, clients and stakeholders often focus on the words rather than the layout, typography, and visual hierarchy. Lorem Ipsum's unfamiliarity forces viewers to evaluate the design itself.
Unlike using "Content goes here" repeatedly, Lorem Ipsum has a natural distribution of letters and word lengths that mimics real language, giving a more accurate preview of the final design.
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."
| Use Case | Appropriate? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wireframes and mockups | Yes | Early-stage design exploration |
| Typography testing | Yes | Evaluating fonts and spacing |
| Template development | Yes | Testing layouts with content |
| Print design proofs | Yes | Classic use case |
| User testing | Sometimes | Real content often better for UX |
| Final deliverables | No | Always replace before launch |
| Content strategy | No | Real content needed for planning |
While Lorem Ipsum is the standard, there are alternatives for different needs:
Some designers advocate for "content-first" design, arguing that Lorem Ipsum can lead to:
However, Lorem Ipsum remains valuable when real content isn't available yet, or when you need to test multiple layout variations quickly. The key is knowing when to switch from placeholder to real content.