Lorem Ipsum Translation: Latin to English

Last updated: February 2026

Everyone has seen Lorem Ipsum, but very few know what it actually says. The text looks like Latin because it is based on Latin -- but it has been scrambled beyond recognition. Below you will find the original source passage by Cicero, a full English translation, and a word-by-word breakdown of the most recognizable phrases.

The Original Latin by Cicero

Lorem Ipsum is derived from sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum (On the Ends of Good and Evil) by Marcus Tullius Cicero, written in 45 BC. Here is the relevant portion of Cicero's original Latin:

"Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?"

Full English Translation

The passage above translates to English as follows:

"Nor is there anyone who loves or pursues or desires to obtain pain of itself, because it is pain, but because occasionally circumstances occur in which toil and pain can procure some great pleasure. For who among us ever undertakes laborious physical exercise, except to obtain some advantage from it? And who has any right to find fault with a man who chooses to enjoy a pleasure that has no annoying consequences, or one who avoids a pain that produces no resultant pleasure?"

Cicero was presenting and critiquing Epicurean philosophy -- the idea that pleasure is the highest good and pain is the greatest evil. The passage argues that sometimes pain must be accepted to achieve pleasure, and sometimes pleasure must be refused to avoid future pain.

Word-by-Word Breakdown of Key Phrases

The most recognizable words from the Lorem Ipsum text come directly from Cicero. Here is what they actually mean:

How Modern Lorem Ipsum Differs from the Original

The Lorem Ipsum used in design today is not a faithful copy of Cicero's text. Sometime in the 1500s, an unknown typographer took Cicero's passage and deliberately altered it to create a type specimen:

• Words were truncated -- "dolorem" became "lorem", "magnam aliquam" became "magna aliqua"
• Letters were changed -- "numquam" became something closer to "eiusmod", Latin verb endings were altered
• Phrases were rearranged -- the sentence order no longer follows Cicero's argument
• Sections were removed -- large parts of the original passage are missing entirely
• Non-Latin words crept in -- some words in the standard Lorem Ipsum passage do not exist in any Latin dictionary

The result is text that looks like Latin and shares its letter frequency and rhythm, but carries no meaning. That is exactly why it works as placeholder text: it is visually convincing without being intellectually distracting.

Richard McClintock, a Latin professor at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, was the first to trace the Lorem Ipsum text back to Cicero in 1982, proving that it was not random gibberish but a corrupted version of a real classical text.

Related Pages

• Lorem Ipsum Generator -- Generate 1-10 paragraphs instantly
• What is Lorem Ipsum? -- Full explanation of meaning and origin
• Full Lorem Ipsum Text -- Complete original passage
• History of Lorem Ipsum -- From Cicero to modern design
• Lorem Ipsum in Design -- Why designers use placeholder text
• Lorem Ipsum Alternatives -- Other placeholder text options