Filler text

Filler text is copy that exists only to occupy space until the real words are written. Designers, printers and developers use it to judge a layout while the content is still being drafted. It also goes by dummy text, placeholder copy and lorem ipsum.

English filler text

Readable English placeholder copy. Need a specific length? Use the generator.

This is placeholder text. Everything you read here exists only to show how a block of copy sits on the page. The words carry no message and the sentences lead nowhere in particular. They will be replaced by the real text once it has been written. Curiously, people read filler text anyway, even after being told that there is nothing in it.

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Generate English filler text

Which kind should you use?

Lorem ipsum. Mangled Latin, unreadable on purpose. Best for your own layout work, when nothing should pull your eye into the words.
Readable filler. Plain English (or Dutch, German, French) that says nothing. Best for client presentations, where Latin invites the question “what does this say?” and derails the conversation.
Greeked text. Shapes and blocks standing in for words, used when even the letterforms would distract – in a wireframe, say.
Real draft copy. Always better if you have it. Filler text is a stand-in, not a goal.

Things to check with filler text

Good filler stresses a layout rather than flattering it. Make sure yours includes short and long words, punctuation such as a semicolon or an em dash, numerals like 1842 or £19.95, and paragraphs of different lengths. Without those, a design can look fine in the mock-up and fall apart on the day the real text arrives.

One rule above all

Replace it before you ship. A printed brochure carrying placeholder copy on the back cover is an expensive joke, and on a website such a paragraph can sit unnoticed for years. Search your project for “lorem” and “filler” before the files leave your hands.

Frequently asked questions

Is filler text free to use?

Yes. The lorem ipsum text is centuries old and in the public domain, and the English, Dutch and other filler texts on this site are free to use commercially, with no attribution required.

How much filler text equals one page?

Roughly 500 to 600 words fill an A4 page set in 10 or 11 point at a normal leading. Half a page is about 250 words, a short paragraph around 60. The generator takes an exact word or character count.

Does filler text hurt SEO?

Only if it reaches a published page. Google will index it, find copy that says nothing, and rank the page accordingly – and any visitor who lands there leaves straight away. In a mock-up or behind a login it makes no difference at all.

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