How to Use Lorem Ipsum Placeholder Text in Design

Showing a client a wireframe with “TEXT HERE TEXT HERE” repeated 50 times looks unprofessional. Real content isn’t ready yet, but the design needs testing. This is where Lorem Ipsum saves the day.

Lorem Ipsum is nonsensical Latin-derived placeholder text that has been the industry standard since the 1500s. It looks like readable content without distracting viewers from the visual design. Designers, developers, and typesetters use it to fill layouts before final copy is written.

Unlike generic filler like “text goes here,” Lorem Ipsum has realistic word length variation and letter frequency distribution that mimics natural language patterns. This makes it perfect for testing typography, spacing, and responsive layouts.

The History of Lorem Ipsum

The origin story is surprisingly old. Lorem Ipsum comes from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of “De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (The Extremes of Good and Evil) by Cicero, written in 45 BC.

The text is a philosophical treatise about ethics and the pursuit of pleasure. The specific passage used in Lorem Ipsum discusses the concept that pain should be avoided and pleasure pursued.

The original Latin passage:

“Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit…”

Translation:

“There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain…”

In the 1500s, an unknown printer scrambled a portion of this text to create a type specimen book. The scrambled version became the standard placeholder text we know today.

Modern usage began in the 1960s when Letraset released sheets of dry-transfer lettering containing Lorem Ipsum passages. When desktop publishing software like PageMaker launched in the 1980s, they included Lorem Ipsum templates, cementing its status as the industry standard.

Why Designers Use Placeholder Text

Focus on Visual Hierarchy

When clients see placeholder text, they understand it’s temporary and focus on fonts, colors, spacing, and layout instead of reading the content. Real sentences like “This is a headline about our product” distract from design critique.

Realistic Text Flow

Lorem Ipsum mimics the natural rhythm of English. The word length variation creates realistic line breaks and hyphenation patterns. This helps designers see how the final layout will actually look when filled with real copy.

Parallel Workflows

Developers can build page templates while copywriters draft content separately. No need to wait for final copy before testing responsive behavior or print layouts.

Testing Edge Cases

Generate short, medium, and long paragraphs to test how layouts handle different content volumes. Does a card component break with a 5-word headline versus a 15-word one? Lorem Ipsum makes it easy to test both scenarios.

How to Generate Lorem Ipsum Programmatically

Most designers use online generators, but developers often need placeholder text in code.

JavaScript (Browser/Node)

function generateLoremIpsum(paragraphs = 3) {
  const words = [
    'lorem', 'ipsum', 'dolor', 'sit', 'amet', 'consectetur',
    'adipiscing', 'elit', 'sed', 'do', 'eiusmod', 'tempor',
    'incididunt', 'ut', 'labore', 'et', 'dolore', 'magna',
    'aliqua'
  ];

  const generateSentence = () => {
    const length = Math.floor(Math.random() * 8) + 8;
    const sentence = Array.from({ length }, () =>
      words[Math.floor(Math.random() * words.length)]
    );
    sentence[0] = sentence[0].charAt(0).toUpperCase() + sentence[0].slice(1);
    return sentence.join(' ') + '.';
  };

  const generateParagraph = () => {
    const sentences = Math.floor(Math.random() * 4) + 3;
    return Array.from({ length: sentences }, generateSentence).join(' ');
  };

  return Array.from({ length: paragraphs }, generateParagraph).join('\n\n');
}

console.log(generateLoremIpsum(2));

Python

from lorem_text import lorem

# Generate 3 paragraphs
print(lorem.paragraphs(3))

# Generate 50 words
print(lorem.words(50))

# Generate 5 sentences
print(lorem.sentence(5))

Install the library:

pip install lorem-text

PHP

<?php
function generateLorem($paragraphs = 3) {
    $words = explode(' ', 'lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscing elit sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua');

    $text = '';
    for ($i = 0; $i < $paragraphs; $i++) {
        $sentences = rand(3, 6);
        for ($j = 0; $j < $sentences; $j++) {
            $length = rand(8, 15);
            $sentence = array_rand(array_flip($words), $length);
            $text .= ucfirst(implode(' ', $sentence)) . '. ';
        }
        $text .= "\n\n";
    }
    return trim($text);
}

echo generateLorem(2);
?>

SQL (For Database Seeds)

-- PostgreSQL function to generate Lorem Ipsum
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION generate_lorem(word_count INT)
RETURNS TEXT AS $$
DECLARE
  words TEXT[] := ARRAY['lorem', 'ipsum', 'dolor', 'sit', 'amet', 'consectetur'];
  result TEXT := '';
  i INT;
BEGIN
  FOR i IN 1..word_count LOOP
    result := result || words[1 + floor(random() * array_length(words, 1))] || ' ';
  END LOOP;
  RETURN TRIM(result);
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

-- Usage: Insert placeholder descriptions
INSERT INTO products (name, description)
VALUES ('Sample Product', generate_lorem(50));

Lorem Ipsum Variants

Classic Latin Lorem Ipsum is professional, but sometimes you want something different to match your project’s tone or just to entertain your team during development.

Variant	Example	Use Case
Classic Latin	”Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit…”	Professional mockups, client presentations
Bacon Ipsum	”Bacon ipsum dolor amet pork loin spare ribs cow hamburger…”	Food blogs, restaurant sites, casual projects
Hipster Ipsum	”Artisan pour-over craft beer sustainable VHS vinyl…”	Startup mockups, trendy brand designs
Corporate Ipsum	”Synergize cross-functional deliverables to leverage core competencies…”	Enterprise presentations, business software
Cupcake Ipsum	”Cupcake ipsum toffee sweet roll brownie…”	Bakery sites, dessert blogs
Pirate Ipsum	”Scallywag schooner Spanish Main long clothes…”	Playful designs, maritime themes

When to use alternatives:

• Internal mockups: Use fun variants to keep the team entertained
• Industry-specific designs: Bacon Ipsum for food sites, Tech Ipsum for SaaS apps
• Client humor test: If the client notices Hipster Ipsum, they are reading placeholder text instead of reviewing design

When to Use Lorem Ipsum vs. Real Content

Scenario	Use Lorem Ipsum	Use Real Content
Initial wireframes	Yes	No
Client mockups (early stage)	Yes	Optional
Final mockups for approval	No	Yes
Responsive testing	Yes	Yes (test both)
Typography testing	Yes	Optional
Accessibility testing	No	Yes
User testing	No	Yes
Production sites	Never	Always

Critical rule: Never launch a live website with Lorem Ipsum. Search engines consider it “thin content” and will penalize your rankings. Users will immediately distrust your brand.

Best Practices for Mockups and Prototypes

Match Real Content Length

If your final blog posts average 800 words, generate 800-word placeholder text. Don’t use 3 short paragraphs (150 words) to mock up a long-form article layout.

How to estimate:

• Blog headlines: 6-12 words
• Product descriptions: 50-100 words
• Article previews: 150-200 words
• Full articles: 500-2000 words

Use Realistic Patterns

Real content has variation. Mix short and long paragraphs. Include occasional single-sentence paragraphs for emphasis.

Bad pattern (too uniform):

Paragraph (100 words)
Paragraph (100 words)
Paragraph (100 words)

Good pattern (varied):

Paragraph (150 words)
Paragraph (50 words)
Paragraph (200 words)
Paragraph (30 words - emphasis)

Include HTML Tags for Developers

When handing off mockups to developers, generate Lorem Ipsum with proper HTML tags.

Example:

<h1>Lorem Ipsum Dolor Sit Amet</h1>
<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.</p>
<ul>
  <li>Ut enim ad minim veniam</li>
  <li>Quis nostrud exercitation ullamco</li>
  <li>Laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo</li>
</ul>

This saves developers from manually adding tags during implementation.

Label Placeholder Content

In Figma, Sketch, or Adobe XD, use layer names like “LOREM - Replace” or add comments indicating which text blocks need final copy. This prevents designers from accidentally approving Lorem Ipsum for production.

Test Internationalization

Lorem Ipsum is Latin-based and mimics English letter frequency. If your site will be translated, test with placeholder text in those languages too.

Example: Use German Lorem Ipsum to test longer compound words that break layouts differently than English.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Leaving Placeholder in Production

The cardinal sin. Always search your codebase for “lorem ipsum” before launching.

# Search all files for Lorem Ipsum
grep -ri "lorem ipsum" ./src

Automated check (Git pre-commit hook):

#!/bin/bash
if git diff --cached | grep -i "lorem ipsum"; then
  echo "ERROR: Lorem Ipsum found in staged files!"
  exit 1
fi

Wrong Text Length

Using 3 short paragraphs to mock up a blog post that will have 10 paragraphs in production. This creates false confidence in the design.

Fix: Generate the exact word count you expect in the final version.

Ignoring Readability

Some Lorem Ipsum generators produce extremely long words or nonsensical character sequences that don’t reflect real language patterns.

Bad example: “Loremipsumdolorsitametconsecteturadipiscingelit” (no spaces)

Good example: “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit” (natural spacing)

Using Lorem for Accessibility Testing

Screen readers need real content to test properly. Lorem Ipsum doesn’t reveal issues with:

• Alt text quality
• Heading hierarchy logic
• Link text clarity
• Form label accuracy

Solution: Use realistic sample content for accessibility audits.

Not Crediting Sources (If Using Real Text)

Some designers use excerpts from novels or articles as placeholder text. This is fine for internal mockups but can create legal issues if accidentally published.

Safer approach: Stick with Lorem Ipsum (public domain) or clearly mark real excerpts as “Sample text - do not publish.”

Pro Tips

Start with Traditional Opening

The traditional Lorem Ipsum opening is recognizable worldwide:

“Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.”

Starting with this phrase signals to everyone (clients, developers, content writers) that the text is placeholder, not final copy.

Use Paragraph Breaks Strategically

Long blocks of text without breaks are harder to read. Aim for 3-5 sentences per paragraph, just like real editorial content.

Generate List Items Separately

Bulleted and numbered lists need shorter placeholder text than paragraphs. Generate 5-10 word snippets instead of full sentences.

Example for bullet lists:

• Ut enim ad minim veniam
• Quis nostrud exercitation
• Ullamco laboris nisi

Combine Lorem with Real Headings

Keep headings realistic while using Lorem for body text. This helps clients understand page structure.

Example:

About Our Company (real heading)
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet... (placeholder body)

Our Services (real heading)
Consectetur adipiscing elit... (placeholder body)

Alternatives to Lorem Ipsum

Real Content Samples

For highly specialized niches, use excerpts from real content in the same industry.

Example: A medical app mockup might use excerpts from medical journals (with disclaimers) instead of Latin gibberish.

Topic-Specific Generators

• Legal Ipsum: Uses legal jargon for law firm sites
• Finance Ipsum: Stock market and investment terminology
• Startup Ipsum: Tech buzzwords and VC-speak
• Trump Ipsum: Quotes from political speeches (controversial but effective for getting client attention)

Randomized Real Sentences

Some generators use real English sentences in random order. This combines Lorem’s neutrality with natural readability.

Empty State Messages

Instead of Lorem Ipsum, use actual empty state messages:

• “No notifications yet”
• “Your cart is empty”
• “Start a conversation”

This tests how UI components handle real text while avoiding Lorem’s staleness.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Lorem Ipsum copyrighted?

No. The original text is from Cicero (45 BC), so it’s in the public domain. You can use it freely in any commercial or personal project without attribution or licensing fees.

Will using Lorem Ipsum hurt my SEO?

Yes, if you leave it on a live site. Search engines like Google consider Lorem Ipsum “thin content” or spam and won’t index the page correctly. Always replace placeholder text with real content before publishing. In development and staging environments, it’s perfectly safe to use.

How much placeholder text should I generate?

Match your expected final content length. For blog layouts, generate 3-5 paragraphs (300-500 words) per article preview. For landing pages, 1-2 paragraphs per section. For e-commerce, generate short descriptions (1 sentence) for product cards and 2-3 paragraphs for detail pages. Always test with both minimum and maximum expected lengths.

What is the difference between Lorem Ipsum and Lorem Picsum?

Lorem Ipsum is text placeholder. Lorem Picsum (https://picsum.photos) is a placeholder image service. Both serve the same purpose for different content types. Use Lorem Picsum to generate random images for mockups without needing stock photos.

Why does Lorem Ipsum start with ‘Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet’?

This phrase comes directly from Cicero’s text, specifically section 1.10.32 which begins “Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet…” The words were extracted and rearranged by the unknown printer in the 1500s to create a pronounceable but nonsensical opening.

Generate Lorem Ipsum Instantly

Need placeholder text for your next design project?

Use our Free Lorem Ipsum Generator. Choose from Classic Latin, Bacon Ipsum, Hipster Ipsum, or Corporate Ipsum. Generate paragraphs, sentences, words, or list items with optional HTML tags. Perfect for wireframes, mockups, and responsive testing. Free to use with no rate limits.