Design · 3 min read
Lorem Ipsum: Where It Comes From and When to Use It
"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet..." has filled design mock-ups since the days of letterpress. It looks like Latin, but it is a scrambled excerpt — and that is exactly why it works.
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Where it comes from
The text is derived from Cicero's "De finibus bonorum et malorum", written in 45 BC, with words cut, altered, and rearranged. Typesetters used it for centuries, and desktop publishing software popularised it in the 1980s.
Why use placeholder text
Readable text draws reviewers into the words instead of the layout. Lorem ipsum has a natural-looking spread of word lengths, so it shows how type, spacing, and line length will look without distracting anyone.
When to use real content instead
Placeholder text hides real problems: a headline that is three times longer in practice, a product name that does not fit on a button, or a translation that doubles in length. As soon as you can, design with real or realistic text. And search your project for "lorem" before launch — placeholder text in production is a common, embarrassing slip.