Where does Lorem Ipsum come from?

Contrary to popular belief, Lorem Ipsum is not simply random text. 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 in Virginia, looked up one of the more obscure Latin words, consectetur, from a Lorem Ipsum passage, and going through the cites of the word in classical literature, discovered the undoubtable source.

Is Lorem Ipsum free to use?

Yes, Lorem Ipsum text is free to use for any purpose. It is public domain text derived from Cicero's 'De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum'. You can use it in your commercial projects, websites, and designs without any attribution or cost.

Lorem Ipsum Generator - Free Placeholder Text (2025)

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Understanding Lorem Ipsum

Lorem Ipsum is the standard placeholder text used in the design and printing industries. It looks like Latin, but it's actually a scrambled version of a passage from Cicero's De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum ("On the Ends of Good and Evil"), written in 45 BC.

Designers use it because it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, making it look like readable English. This allows clients and stakeholders to focus on the visual layout (fonts, spacing, colors) rather than getting distracted by reading the content.

💡 Expert Tip: Use Real Content When Possible

While Lorem Ipsum is great for initial wireframes, try to switch to real content as soon as possible. "Content-first design" ensures your layout actually supports the message. Lorem Ipsum can sometimes mislead you into designing for ideal text lengths that don't match reality (e.g., really long headlines).

⚠️ Common Mistake: Leaving It In Production

The most embarrassing mistake is launching a website with "Lorem Ipsum" still in the footer or on a "About Us" page. Always double-check every page before going live. Some developers use bright pink text for placeholders to make them impossible to miss during review.

Key Takeaways

Origin: Classical Latin literature by Cicero (45 BC)
Purpose: Focus on design/layout, not content
Usage: Web design, graphic design, typesetting, mockups
Standard: Used since the 1500s

Reviewed by: Sarah Jenkins, Senior UI/UX Designer
Last updated: November 26, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Lorem Ipsum?

Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. It has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.

Where does it come from?

It 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. This book is a treatise on the theory of ethics, very popular during the Renaissance.

Why do we use it?

It is a long established fact that a reader will be distracted by the readable content of a page when looking at its layout. The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using 'Content here, content here'.

Is it free?

Yes, Lorem Ipsum text is in the public domain and free to use for any purpose, commercial or personal.

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