Lorem Ipsum: The Standard Placeholder Text of the Web
If you have ever designed a website, laid out a brochure, or tested a font, you have seen it: "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet...". It looks like Latin, reads like nonsense, and is the industry standard for dummy text.
The Open Tools Lorem Ipsum Generator allows designers, developers, and typesetters to generate unlimited amounts of this placeholder text instantly. Whether you need a single sentence for a button or ten paragraphs for a layout mockup, we provide the flexibility to generate exactly what you need.
The History: It is older than you think
Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not random computer-generated gibberish. 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, traced the passage back to "De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero. The standard chunk we use today is a scrambled version of sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33. It discusses the philosophy of hedonism, but the words have been altered, removed, and made nonsensical to ensure it doesn't convey any actual meaning.
Why do designers use Dummy Text?
Why not just write "Content goes here" or copy text from Wikipedia? There is a psychological reason.
- Visual Distribution: "Content goes here" repeated 50 times creates a noticeable, distracting pattern. Lorem Ipsum has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters and word lengths, making it look like readable English.
- Focus on Design: If you use real text (e.g., a news article) in a design mockup, the client will inevitably read the text and comment on it ("I don't like this headline"). Dummy text forces the viewer to focus on the layout, typography, and color, not the words.
Advanced Features for Developers
Our generator goes beyond simple paragraphs. We include features specifically for web developers:
HTML List Generation (<ul> <li>)
Testing CSS styles for lists is annoying if you have to manually type out `
Start with "Lorem Ipsum..."
Standard practice dictates the first paragraph should start with the classic phrase. However, if you are generating multiple smaller text blocks (like testimonials), you might want random starts to avoid repetition. Our tool gives you a checkbox to toggle this on or off.
SEO Warning: Don't Publish Lorem Ipsum!
While Lorem Ipsum is essential for the design phase, it is poison for SEO on a live site. Search engines like Google crawl your site to understand its topic. If they find pages full of Lorem Ipsum, they flag the page as "Low Quality" or "Thin Content."
The "Forgot to Remove" Error: It is surprisingly common for developers to launch a site and forget a block of dummy text in the footer or a test page. This looks unprofessional and hurts rankings. Always double-check your content before going live.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Lorem Ipsum copyright free?
Yes. The text is derived from Cicero's works, which are in the public domain because they are 2000 years old. You can use it in commercial projects, websites, and print without any attribution or licensing fees.
What does lorem ipsum actually mean?
Because it is scrambled and words are cut off (e.g., "dolorem" became "lorem"), it doesn't strictly mean anything. However, the original Cicero text translates roughly to: "There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain..."
Why do some versions have funny words?
There are many "Modern" variations like Bacon Ipsum (meat names), Hipster Ipsum (slang), or Pirate Ipsum. While fun, these can sometimes be distracting or inappropriate for corporate clients. We stick to the classic Latin-style text for maximum professionalism.