Lorem Ipsum Generator
Placeholder text for designs, mockups and tests. Choose how much you need, then copy it as plain text, HTML, Markdown or JSON. Everything runs in your browser.
How to use the lorem ipsum generator
- Type how many you need and choose what to count: paragraphs, sentences, words, characters, list items or headings. The text changes as you type.
- Choose the text. "Lorem ipsum (random)" mixes the usual lorem ipsum words into new sentences each time. "The classic paragraph" repeats the famous paragraph word for word. "Cicero's original Latin" uses the real passage that lorem ipsum was made from.
- Choose the format. HTML wraps paragraphs in
<p>, lists in<ul><li>and headings in<h2>. Markdown uses empty lines,-and##. JSON gives an array of strings for test data and mock APIs. - Turn on Add bold, italic, links and code (HTML and Markdown) to test how your styles look inside a paragraph.
- Click Copy, or New text for a different random version. Characters gives exactly that many characters, which is handy to test a text field, a database column or a 160-character SMS limit.
The classic lorem ipsum paragraph
This is the standard text that most generators, Word and many design tools start with:
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.
It has 69 words, 4 sentences and 445 characters with spaces (377 without). Many words are real Latin (dolor = pain, labore = work, magna = great), but they do not form real sentences, and some, such as "lorem", "eiusmod" and "cillum", are not Latin words at all.
Where lorem ipsum comes from
Lorem ipsum is a scrambled piece of "De finibus bonorum et malorum" (On the ends of good and evil), a book about ethics that the Roman writer Cicero wrote in 45 BC. The source is sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33. The famous words come from this line:
Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit…Cicero, De finibus 1.10.32: "Nor is there anyone who loves or pursues or wants pain itself, because it is pain…"
Someone cut "dolorem" in the middle, so the text starts with "lorem ipsum". Words were dropped, changed and mixed, which is why the result looks like Latin but cannot be read. Choose Cicero's original Latin above to get the real passage.
It is often said that printers used lorem ipsum since the 1500s, but no printed example that old has been found. The text became common in the 1960s, when Letraset printed it on dry-transfer sheets for designers, and in the 1980s, when desktop publishing programs such as Aldus PageMaker shipped it as sample text.
How much text do I need?
| Place | Usual length | Set the generator to |
|---|---|---|
| Page title (search result) | about 50 to 60 characters | 60 characters, whole words |
| Meta description | about 150 to 160 characters | 155 characters, whole words |
| SMS message | 160 characters (GSM), 70 with emoji or Chinese | 160 characters |
| Post on X | 280 characters | 280 characters |
| Button or menu item | 1 to 3 words | 2 words |
| Card or product teaser | 15 to 30 words | 2 sentences |
| Blog post page | 800 to 2,000 words | 10 long paragraphs |
| Navigation, feature list | 4 to 8 short items | 6 list items |
Use our word and character counter to check the length of your real text later.
Lorem ipsum in Word, VS Code and code
| Where | How |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Type =lorem() on an empty line and press Enter (3 paragraphs). =lorem(5,3) = 5 paragraphs of 3 sentences. =rand() gives English sample text instead. |
| VS Code (Emmet) | In an HTML file type lorem and press Tab (30 words). lorem10 = 10 words, p*3>lorem = 3 paragraphs, ul>li*5>lorem4 = a list. |
| JavaScript | faker.lorem.paragraphs(3) with the @faker-js/faker package |
| Python | Faker().paragraph() with the faker package |
| Figma | Plugins such as "Lorem ipsum" fill selected text layers; or paste text from this page. |
Good practice with placeholder text
- Test with real content before launch. Real headlines are often longer than "Lorem ipsum dolor", and German, Finnish or Portuguese words can be very long. Chinese, Japanese and Korean text has no spaces at all.
- Test the limits. Use the exact character mode to fill a field to its maximum, and check that long text wraps instead of breaking the layout.
- Search your project for "lorem" before you publish. Placeholder text left on a live page looks unfinished, and Google can treat such pages as low-quality content.
- Screen readers read lorem ipsum aloud as nonsense. In accessibility tests, use realistic text.
Frequently asked questions
What does lorem ipsum mean?
Almost nothing. Lorem ipsum is scrambled Latin. It comes from a text by Cicero, but words were cut, mixed up and changed, so most sentences have no meaning. "Lorem" is not a Latin word at all: it is the end of "dolorem" (pain). The original line "neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet" means "nor is there anyone who loves pain itself because it is pain".
Where does lorem ipsum come from?
From sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of "De finibus bonorum et malorum" (On the ends of good and evil), a book about ethics that Cicero wrote in 45 BC. The scrambled version became popular with Letraset dry-transfer sheets in the 1960s and with desktop publishing software such as Aldus PageMaker in the 1980s. The often repeated story that printers used it since the 1500s has no known printed proof.
Why do designers use lorem ipsum instead of real text?
Because it looks like real text (normal word lengths, spaces and punctuation) but nobody can read it, so people judge the layout, fonts and spacing instead of the words. It is also quick: the real text is often not written yet when the design starts. Before launch, replace it with real content and test the design with long words, long names and other languages.
How do I insert lorem ipsum in Microsoft Word?
Type =lorem() at the start of an empty line and press Enter. Word adds 3 paragraphs of lorem ipsum. =lorem(5,3) gives 5 paragraphs of 3 sentences each. =rand() does the same with English sample text from Word's help. In VS Code and other editors with Emmet, type lorem or lorem20 in an HTML file and press Tab.
How many words are in a paragraph of lorem ipsum?
The classic paragraph that starts with "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" has 69 words, 4 sentences and 445 characters with spaces. Generated paragraphs vary: here a short paragraph has about 30 to 50 words, a medium one about 40 to 70 and a long one about 85 to 125.
Can I use lorem ipsum text for free in commercial work?
Yes. Cicero's text is more than 2,000 years old and in the public domain, and the text made here is yours to use anywhere. Just do not publish it by mistake: placeholder text left on a live website looks unfinished, and search engines treat pages full of it as low-quality content.
Is the text made on a server?
No. The text is made in your browser with JavaScript, so it works offline once the page has loaded. Only your settings, such as the number of paragraphs and the format, are kept in this browser for your next visit.