etaoin shrdlu

English

Alternative forms

• etaoin, etaoin shrdlu cmfwyp, shrdlu, shrdlu etaoin, etaoinshrdlu, etaoinshrdlcumwfgypbvkjxqz

Etymology

From the arrangement of letters on the keyboard of a linotype machine: typesetters would mark errors by running their fingers across the keys, and the results would sometimes accidentally find their way into print. The letters in the string are, approximately, the 12 most commonly used letters in the English language, ordered by their frequency, which drove the design of the linotype keyboard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛtiɔɪn ˈʃɜːrdluː/, /ˈeɪtɑːn ʃrədˈluː/

Noun

etaoin shrdlu (plural etaoin shrdlus)

1. Nonsense, filler text (dummy text), or an example of accidental typing (typo).
   • 1989, Alex Brown, In print: text and type‎^[1], page 137:

     You can see why compositors reflexively filled lines to be corrected with etaoin shrdlus.

See also

• asdfghjkl
• asdfghjkl;
• lorem ipsum

Further reading

• “etaoin shrdlu”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• outlandisher