Lorem Ipsum vs Real Sentences: Choosing Placeholder Text
Placeholder text lets you design before the copy is ready. But choosing between classic lorem ipsum and readable English can change how stakeholders react to your design.
Where lorem ipsum comes from
It’s scrambled Latin from Cicero’s De finibus bonorum et malorum (45 BC), used by typesetters since the 1500s. Because it isn’t readable, it keeps attention on layout and typography.
When to use readable sentences
- User testing, where participants would otherwise be confused.
- Text-to-speech and accessibility testing.
- Checking hyphenation, line length and reading rhythm in English.
Tips for realistic layouts
- Match paragraph length to the real content type (short for cards, long for articles).
- Test headings and buttons with long and short words.
- Replace placeholder text before launch — search for “lorem” in your build.
Pro tips
- Choose paragraphs and sentences per paragraph to fit your layout.
- Use the word count in the summary for content budgets.
- Copy all with one click into Figma or your CMS.