The most widely used placeholders begin with the expression “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amen.” I use it all the time when designing website layouts.
But where did this mysterious phrase come from? Is it Latin? Greek?
What does it mean?
Contents
- What is Lorem Ipsum?
- Where Does the Lorem Ipsum Text Come From?
- How to Generate Lorem Ipsum Text
- Online Lorem Ipsum Generator
- Creating Lorem Ipsum Text in MS Word
- Lorem Ipsum in Adobe Photoshop
- Lorem Ipsum in Adobe Illustrator
- Lorem Ipsum in WordPress Posts & Pages
- Lorem Ipsum Placeholder Text to Copy
- HTML
- Plain Text
- Picsum – Lorem Ipsum for Photos
- Lorem Ipsum FAQs
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem ipsum is placeholder text or dummy text. Put another way, designers and typesetters use lorem ipsum to demonstrate a layout before the real text is available. It makes things like brochures and books look complete before you add the real content.
The first paragraph includes most of the letters of the alphabet. And the letters are spread out in a way that focuses the reader’s attention on the layout of the text instead of its content.
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.
The fact that it is written in another language also helps designers and their clients to focus on layout rather than the words.
Where Does Lorem Ipsum Come From?
The lorem ipsum passage comes from classical Latin literature. More specially, it is from a book written by the Roman philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero in 45 BCE. The book is called The Extremes of Good & Evil or de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum.
While Cicero’s book is the source, the lorem ipsum text is not a direct copy. Rather, it is the place where many of the words, phrases and letters came from.
Section 1.10.32 of de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum
Here is section 32 of the book, with bolded words, phrases and letters being included in the later Lorem Ipsum text.
Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?
English Translation
But I must explain to you how all this mistaken idea of reprobating pleasure and extolling pain arose. To do so, I will give you a complete account of the system and expound the actual teachings of the great explorer of the truth, the master-builder of human happiness. No one rejects, dislikes, or avoids pleasure itself, because it is pleasure, but because those who do not know how to pursue pleasure rationally encounter consequences that are extremely painful. Nor again is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure him some great pleasure. To take a trivial example, which of us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? But who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?
Section 1.10.33 of de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum
At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus, qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti, quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint, obcaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa, qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio, cumque nihil impedit, quo minus id, quod maxime placeat, facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet, ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat.
English Translation
On the other hand, we denounce with righteous indignation and dislike men who are so beguiled and demoralized by the charms of pleasure of the moment, so blinded by desire, that they cannot foresee the pain and trouble that are bound to ensue; and equal blame belongs to those who fail in their duty through weakness of will, which is the same as saying through shrinking from toil and pain. These cases are perfectly simple and easy to distinguish. In a free hour, when our power of choice is untrammelled and when nothing prevents our being able to do what we like best, every pleasure is to be welcomed and every pain avoided. But in certain circumstances and owing to the claims of duty or the obligations of business it will frequently occur that pleasures must be repudiated and annoyances accepted. The wise man therefore always holds in these matters to this principle of selection: he rejects pleasures to secure other greater pleasures, or else he endures pains to avoid worse pains.
McClintock’s Theory on Lorem Ipsum Passage
According to Richard McClintock, a Latin scholar from Hampden-Sydney College, a typesetter in the 1500s scrambled the words to make a book displaying different fonts. Cicero’s work was popular at the time as Europe was in the midst of the Age of Enlightenment. But the typesetter scrambled the words so that readers focused on the fonts rather than the words.
This may be where the phrase it is all Greek to me originated. To those who were fluent in Latin at the time the book was as incomprehensible as Greek.
Typesetters started using lorem ipsum placeholder text in the 1960s for print designs. And designers started using it for digital design as early as the 1980s.
How to Generate Lorem Ipsum Text
Can you generate Lorem text? Yes, you can!
Generate Lorem Ipsum Text Online
My favourite online site for generating lorem ipsum text is the lorem ipsum generator at https://loremipsum.io/
There are also websites that generate humourous lorem ipsum text, including:
They are good for a laugh. But they are not good placeholder text as the content distracts readers from focusing on the layout.
Stick with the traditional Lorem Ipsum text for design.
Generate Lorem Ipsum Text in MS Word
To produce Lorem Ipsum text within Microsoft Word:
- Type =Lorem()
- Press Enter
If you want to be more specific, include the number of paragraphs and sentences within the brackets e.g., =Lorem(5, 20)
Create Lorem Ipsum Text in Adobe Photoshop
To produce Lorem Ipsum text in Adobe Photoshop:
- Select the horizontal type tool (T) and drag across on your image
- Go to Type in the top menu and click Insert Lorem Ipsum
Generate Lorem Ipsum Text in Adobe Illustrator
To create Lorem Ipsum text within Adobe Illustrator, simply:
- Click the text tool button
- Drag down and right to cover the area you want to have Lorem Ipsum text
- Adjust your font style and size to suit
Create Dummy Lorem Ipsum Text in WordPress
To create WordPress posts or pages using Lorem Ipsum text install the plugin FakerPress.
Lorem Ipsum Filler Text to Copy & Paste
Plain Text Lorem Ipsum
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa. Fusce posuere, magna sed pulvinar ultricies, purus lectus malesuada libero, sit amet commodo magna eros quis urna. Nunc viverra imperdiet enim.
Fusce est. Vivamus a tellus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Proin pharetra nonummy pede.
Mauris et orci. Aenean nec lorem. In porttitor. Donec laoreet nonummy augue.
Suspendisse dui purus, scelerisque at, vulputate vitae, pretium mattis, nunc. Mauris eget neque at sem venenatis eleifend. Ut nonummy. Fusce aliquet pede non pede.
Suspendisse dapibus lorem pellentesque magna. Integer nulla. Donec blandit feugiat ligula. Donec hendrerit, felis et imperdiet euismod, purus ipsum pretium metus, in lacinia nulla nisl eget sapien.
Donec ut est in lectus consequat consequat. Etiam eget dui. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed at lorem in nunc porta tristique.
Proin nec augue. Quisque aliquam tempor magna. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nunc ac magna.
Maecenas odio dolor, vulputate vel, auctor ac, accumsan id, felis. Pellentesque cursus sagittis felis. Pellentesque porttitor, velit lacinia egestas auctor, diam eros tempus arcu, nec vulputate augue magna vel risus. Cras non magna vel ante adipiscing rhoncus.
Vivamus a mi. Morbi neque. Aliquam erat volutpat. Integer ultrices lobortis eros.
Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Proin semper, ante vitae sollicitudin posuere, metus quam iaculis nibh, vitae scelerisque nunc massa eget pede. Sed velit urna, interdum vel, ultricies vel, faucibus at, quam. Donec elit est, consectetuer eget, consequat quis, tempus quis, wisi.
In in nunc. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. Donec ullamcorper fringilla eros. Fusce in sapien eu purus dapibus commodo.
Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Cras faucibus condimentum odio. Sed ac ligula. Aliquam at eros.
Etiam at ligula et tellus ullamcorper ultrices. In fermentum, lorem non cursus porttitor, diam urna accumsan lacus, sed interdum wisi nibh nec nisl. Ut tincidunt volutpat urna. Mauris eleifend nulla eget mauris.
Sed cursus quam id felis. Curabitur posuere quam vel nibh. Cras dapibus dapibus nisl. Vestibulum quis dolor a felis congue vehicula.
Maecenas pede purus, tristique ac, tempus eget, egestas quis, mauris. Curabitur non eros. Nullam hendrerit bibendum justo. Fusce iaculis, est quis lacinia pretium, pede metus molestie lacus, at gravida wisi ante at libero.
Lorem Ipsum HTML to Copy & Paste
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Maecenas porttitor congue massa. Fusce posuere, magna sed pulvinar ultricies, purus lectus malesuada libero, sit amet commodo magna eros quis urna. Nunc viverra imperdiet enim.</p>
<p>Fusce est. Vivamus a tellus. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Proin pharetra nonummy pede.</p>
<p>Mauris et orci. Aenean nec lorem. In porttitor. Donec laoreet nonummy augue.</p>
<p>Suspendisse dui purus, scelerisque at, vulputate vitae, pretium mattis, nunc. Mauris eget neque at sem venenatis eleifend. Ut nonummy. Fusce aliquet pede non pede.</p>
<p>Suspendisse dapibus lorem pellentesque magna. Integer nulla. Donec blandit feugiat ligula. Donec hendrerit, felis et imperdiet euismod, purus ipsum pretium metus, in lacinia nulla nisl eget sapien.</p>
<p>Donec ut est in lectus consequat consequat. Etiam eget dui. Aliquam erat volutpat. Sed at lorem in nunc porta tristique.</p>
<p>Proin nec augue. Quisque aliquam tempor magna. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Nunc ac magna.</p>
<p>Maecenas odio dolor, vulputate vel, auctor ac, accumsan id, felis. Pellentesque cursus sagittis felis. Pellentesque porttitor, velit lacinia egestas auctor, diam eros tempus arcu, nec vulputate augue magna vel risus. Cras non magna vel ante adipiscing rhoncus.</p>
<p>Vivamus a mi. Morbi neque. Aliquam erat volutpat. Integer ultrices lobortis eros.</p>
<p>Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Proin semper, ante vitae sollicitudin posuere, metus quam iaculis nibh, vitae scelerisque nunc massa eget pede. Sed velit urna, interdum vel, ultricies vel, faucibus at, quam. Donec elit est, consectetuer eget, consequat quis, tempus quis, wisi.</p>
<p>In in nunc. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos hymenaeos. Donec ullamcorper fringilla eros. Fusce in sapien eu purus dapibus commodo.</p>
<p>Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Cras faucibus condimentum odio. Sed ac ligula. Aliquam at eros.</p>
<p>Etiam at ligula et tellus ullamcorper ultrices. In fermentum, lorem non cursus porttitor, diam urna accumsan lacus, sed interdum wisi nibh nec nisl. Ut tincidunt volutpat urna. Mauris eleifend nulla eget mauris.</p>
<p>Sed cursus quam id felis. Curabitur posuere quam vel nibh. Cras dapibus dapibus nisl. Vestibulum quis dolor a felis congue vehicula.</p>
<p>Maecenas pede purus, tristique ac, tempus eget, egestas quis, mauris. Curabitur non eros. Nullam hendrerit bibendum justo. Fusce iaculis, est quis lacinia pretium, pede metus molestie lacus, at gravida wisi ante at libero.</p>
Picsum – Lorem Ipsum for Photos
Picsum is like Lorem Ipsum for photos.
Simply add a photo using a link like https://picsum.photos/1200/800/?blur=4
Each time someone (e.g., your client) visits the website, a random image will show, such as this one:
1200 is the width you want (change as desired). 800 is the height (change as desired). ?blur blurs the photo, while =4 specifies the amount of blur (1-10).
Lorem Ipsum FAQs
The phrase Lorem Ipsum is an incorrectly shortened version of dolorem ipsum, which broadly means suffering itself.
Lorem Ipsum passages are based on Latin. Yet, the text of the passages has been modified with words changed and added in.
Lorem ipsum text is placeholder text, used by designers before real text is available. It helps designers and their clients to focus on the look of fonts and content layouts without being distracted by the meaning of the words.