What is lorem ipsum?
Lorem ipsum is placeholder text that designers and developers use to fill layouts before the real copy is ready. It is scrambled Latin derived from Cicero’s “de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum” (45 BC), and has been the printing and typesetting industry’s standard dummy text since at least the 1960s, when it appeared on Letraset transfer sheets.
Because it is not readable English, lorem ipsum lets reviewers judge typography, spacing and visual hierarchy without being distracted by the words. Its mix of short and long words and realistic sentence lengths makes it look like natural text — which a repeated “text text text” or “Content goes here” does not.
This generator builds sentences of 5 to 18 words with occasional commas and paragraphs of 3 to 7 sentences, using the vocabulary of classic lorem ipsum generators. Output is plain text or ready-to-paste HTML with <p>, <ul> or <ol> tags.
How to use the Lorem Ipsum Generator
- Choose what to generate: paragraphs, sentences, words or list items.
- Enter how many you need. New text is generated as soon as you change an option.
- Keep Start with “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet…” ticked for the familiar opening, or untick it for fully random text.
- Pick plain text or HTML, then copy or download the result. Click Regenerate for a different variation.
Example
Two list items as HTML:
<ul>
<li>Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet</li>
<li>Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue</li>
</ul>When not to use lorem ipsum
- Content-first design. If the real text will be very short, very long or in another language, test with realistic copy — lorem ipsum hides overflow and wrapping problems.
- Usability tests. Participants cannot evaluate navigation or calls to action they cannot read.
- Live sites. Search engines index placeholder text; a forgotten lorem ipsum page looks unprofessional and is thin content. Check before launch with the WordPress Launch Checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does lorem ipsum mean?
Nothing, deliberately. It is a garbled extract of Cicero’s Latin — “Lorem” is the tail of “dolorem” (pain). The original passage discusses the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain.
Is lorem ipsum free to use?
Yes. The text is based on a work that is over 2,000 years old, so it is in the public domain and can be used in any project.
How do I add lorem ipsum in WordPress?
Generate HTML here and paste it into a Custom HTML block, or paste the plain-text paragraphs into the block editor, which turns each paragraph into a Paragraph block automatically.
Why does the text change every time?
Each generation picks random words and sentence lengths so blocks look natural rather than repetitive. Click Regenerate for a new variation, or copy the text you like.
How many words are in a typical paragraph?
Generated paragraphs average around 50–60 words. The word and character counters show the exact totals; for counting your own text use the Word Counter.