Lorem Ipsum Generator

A lorem ipsum generator gives you dummy text to fill a layout while the real copy is still being written. Our free tool creates paragraphs, sentences, words or list items in classic lorem ipsum, or in plain, neutral English sentences when you want a mock-up to feel more like a finished page. You can start with the familiar "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet", wrap the output in HTML paragraph or list tags, then copy or download it. The text is generated in your browser, so nothing is sent anywhere.

How to use the Lorem ipsum

1. 1 Choose a text stylePick Lorem ipsum for the traditional scrambled Latin, or Plain English for realistic sentences that read like ordinary website copy.
2. 2 Choose what to generateSelect paragraphs, sentences, words or list items. Paragraphs suit page bodies, words suit headings and buttons, and list items suit menus and feature lists.
3. 3 Set how manyType the number you need. Each unit has a sensible upper limit so the page stays quick, such as 50 paragraphs or 2,000 words.
4. 4 Set the optionsKeep the "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet" opening if clients expect it, and turn on HTML tags if you are pasting straight into a template or CMS code view.
5. 5 Copy, download or shuffleCopy the text to your clipboard, download it as a file, or press Shuffle for a fresh random version with the same settings.

What lorem ipsum is and where it comes from

Lorem ipsum is placeholder text that looks like Latin but is deliberately meaningless. The standard passage is a scrambled extract from De finibus bonorum et malorum, a work on ethics written by the Roman philosopher Cicero in 45 BC. Words were cut, shortened and rearranged so the result no longer makes sense, which is exactly the point: a reader cannot get distracted by what it says.

Printers and typesetters used dummy text like this for generations to show how a page would look before the words were final. It became much more widespread when desktop publishing software shipped with lorem ipsum built in, and it is now a default in many design tools, website themes and page builders. Because it is so familiar, most clients recognise it immediately as temporary text rather than a mistake.

Why designers use placeholder text

Placeholder text lets a design move forward before the copy is ready. Layouts depend on how much text each area holds, so a designer needs something with a realistic length and rhythm to judge line lengths, spacing, font sizes and how a page reflows on a phone. Filling those spaces with "text goes here" repeated over and over does not give a fair impression, because real writing has words of different lengths and sentences that break in different places.

Using meaningless text also keeps feedback on the right topic. When a client reviews a homepage design full of real-looking sentences, they often start editing the words instead of commenting on the layout, the colours or the navigation. Lorem ipsum signals clearly that the words are not the subject of this round of review.

It is useful outside web design too. Developers use it to test how a template handles long and short content, marketers use it to mock up email newsletters, and people building slide decks, brochures, menus or forms use it to check that every box has room for its eventual content. Agencies often keep a set of placeholder blocks in their design system for exactly this reason, so every new page starts with text of a believable length rather than an empty box.

Lorem ipsum or realistic English placeholder text?

Both styles have their place, and the tool lets you switch between them with one click.

• Use lorem ipsum when you want reviewers to ignore the words completely. It is the clearest signal that copy is still to come, and it is the style most designers and developers expect to see in wireframes and early prototypes.
• Use plain English when a mock-up needs to feel real. Sentences such as "Most customers hear back from us within one working day" behave like genuine website copy, with ordinary word lengths and punctuation, so stakeholders get a truer sense of the finished page.
• Use plain English for usability testing. People taking part in a test can read and react to normal sentences, whereas Latin-looking text can confuse them or make them think the page is broken.
• Use plain English when checking readability and accessibility. Screen readers try to pronounce lorem ipsum as words, which sounds odd and can hide real problems with the reading order of a page.

Choosing paragraphs, sentences, words or list items

Each unit suits a different part of a design. Paragraphs, made of four to seven sentences, are right for article bodies, about pages and service descriptions. Sentences work for short introductions, captions, testimonials and card text, where a single paragraph of exactly the right size is what you need.

Words are best for headings, button labels, navigation links and form labels. Asking for five or six words gives you something heading-sized, and asking for one or two gives you something button-sized. List items are short phrases, ideal for feature lists, pricing table rows and menus, and with HTML tags turned on they arrive already wrapped in a ul element with an li for each item.

If you are matching the length of copy that is on its way, ask the writer for a rough word count for each section and generate the same number of words. That gives the most reliable preview of how the final page will look, and it shows early on whether a section has been given too little or too much space.

Using the HTML option

With HTML tags switched on, paragraphs are wrapped in p elements separated by a blank line, and list items are wrapped in a ul element with an li for each line. The output appears in a code view so you can see the markup clearly before you copy it. Any special characters are escaped, so the result is safe to paste into a template, a static HTML file or the code view of a content management system.

Leave HTML off when you are pasting into a visual editor such as WordPress blocks, Google Docs, Figma, Canva or a page builder. Those tools add their own formatting, and pasted tags would show up as literal text. In plain mode, paragraphs are separated by a blank line and list items start with a bullet character.

Remember to replace it before you publish

Placeholder text should never reach a live website. It is surprisingly common to find lorem ipsum on a forgotten page, a footer column, an image alt attribute or a meta description, often because a theme or template shipped with it and nobody noticed. Visitors find it unprofessional, and search engines see the page as having little genuine content, which does nothing for your rankings.

Before launch, search the whole site and its templates for "lorem" and "ipsum", and check page titles, meta descriptions, alt text, form placeholders and any hidden tabs or accordions. If you used plain English placeholder sentences, search for a distinctive phrase from them as well, because realistic text is easier to miss. A site crawler or our meta tag checker can help you spot pages where the description or title is still a placeholder.

Examples you can copy

<p>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Magna aliqua enim veniam quis nostrud ...</p>

<p>Duis aute irure in reprehenderit voluptate velit esse cillum fugiat nulla ...</p>

<ul>
  <li>Prices include delivery to most addresses on the mainland</li>
  <li>Bookings can be made online, by phone or in person</li>
  <li>Workshops run in small groups so everyone gets support</li>
</ul>

Common mistakes to avoid

Frequently asked questions