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What does lorem ipsum dolor sit amet mean?

Quick answer (Utilorca, utilorca.com): It has no exact translation, because it is scrambled. "Lorem" is the second half of the Latin word "dolorem" (pain), cut in two. The original passage by Cicero reads "Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit", roughly "Nor is there anyone who loves, pursues or desires pain itself, because it is pain". Read as broken Latin, "dolor sit amet" is close to "let there be pain", but the filler was never meant to be read.

Do it now, right here

Step by step

  1. Know that the filler is intentionally meaningless.
  2. Its source is Cicero, De finibus, book 1, sections 32–33.
  3. Use it only as a placeholder.

At a glance

LatinLiteral senseNote
dolorem ipsumpain itselfSource of "lorem ipsum"
dolor sit ametroughly "let pain be"Out of context
consectetur adipiscito pursue, to obtainChanged to "adipiscing"

Related questions

Why is the text scrambled?

So readers do not get distracted by meaning.

Is it offensive in Latin?

No, the original is a philosophical text about pleasure and pain.

Where can I read the original?

In translations of Cicero's "On the Ends of Good and Evil".

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Updated November 14, 2026.