If you’ve ever worked on a design, built a website, or tested a layout, chances are you’ve seen a strange block of text that starts with “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.” That, my friend, is dummy text. But where does it come from? Why do we use it? And more importantly, what’s a lorem generator?
Let’s break it down, clearly and simply.
What is Lorem Ipsum?
Lorem Ipsum is placeholder text. It’s used when designers, developers, or writers need to fill a space with words, but don’t want the distraction of actual content. It’s kind of like dressing a mannequin before the real outfit is ready.
The words themselves look like Latin, but they don’t mean anything. They’re scrambled just enough to make them feel real, without being readable. That way, your brain doesn’t focus on what’s written, only how it looks.
Think of it as visual noise, organized, balanced, and totally fake. And it’s not just any gibberish. It’s elegant gibberish.
What is a Lorem Generator?
A lorem generator is a tool that quickly creates this kind of placeholder text for you. Instead of copying and pasting the same old paragraph over and over, a lorem generator gives you fresh chunks of dummy text with just one click.
Some generators let you:
- Choose how many words, sentences, or paragraphs you need
- Pick different types of placeholder text (like tech-themed, fun, or even pirate-speak versions)
- Copy the content in HTML, plain text, or Markdown
It’s the fastest way to create clean, readable-looking pages when your actual copy isn’t ready yet. Whether you’re building a landing page or prototyping a mobile app, lorem generators help bring your design to life, without waiting on content writers.
Where does Lorem Ipsum come from?
Here’s the weird part, it’s not just made-up nonsense.
Lorem Ipsum has roots in classical Latin literature. It comes from a work by Cicero, a Roman philosopher and politician who lived in 45 BC. The original text is from a piece called “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum”, which means “On the Ends of Good and Evil.”
Somewhere along the way, typesetters took chunks of that text, chopped them up, scrambled the words, and turned it into the placeholder text we use today.
So yes, your dummy content is older than electricity.
A brief history of Lorem Ipsum
Lorem Ipsum started popping up in the printing world back in the 1500s. A clever typesetter needed to mock up a book layout and decided to use scrambled Latin from Cicero instead of just repeating “ABC” or “text here.”
That simple idea stuck around for centuries.
By the 1960s, it made its way into desktop publishing. The classic software Aldus PageMaker helped it spread across the world, and soon, it became the industry standard for placeholder text.
Today, Lorem Ipsum is everywhere, from Figma to WordPress, Adobe to Notion. If you’re building something and you need text to test, lorem ipsum is your go-to.
Why do people still use it?
Because it works.
- It looks real, but it won’t distract you
- It shows how your design flows with content
- It helps clients focus on layout and visual hierarchy
Real text comes later. But good design? That starts now. And lorem generators make that process seamless.
Final thoughts
Lorem Ipsum isn’t just some random block of gibberish. It’s a time-tested tool that helps creatives around the world build, test, and dream. And lorem generators? They’re the secret weapon behind that process.
So next time you see “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,” know that you’re looking at something with centuries of history, used by millions, and built to make your ideas real.
Try it out here.