Text Truncator
Truncate text to N chars with ellipsis.
Overview
Cut text down to a fixed character or word limit and append an ellipsis (or any suffix you like) to show that it's truncated. Optionally truncate cleanly on a word boundary so the result doesn't end mid-word.
Developers building preview snippets for cards and lists, content editors enforcing meta-description length limits, social-media managers cutting captions for character-limited platforms, and CMS template authors all reach for this. SEO meta descriptions, Twitter posts, and product blurbs all have hard length limits where smart truncation matters.
How it works
The tool counts either characters or words from the start of your input and stops at the configured limit. If the cut falls in the middle of a word and the "respect word boundary" option is on, the cut backs up to the previous space so the truncated text ends cleanly. The suffix (default …) is appended; its length can be included in the limit or added on top, depending on the mode.
Examples
Input: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
Limit: 20 chars, word boundary
Output: The quick brown fox…
Input: Line one Line two Line three
Limit: 10 words
Output: Line one Line two Line three (under limit — unchanged)
Input: Hello World
Limit: 3 chars, no word boundary, suffix "..."
Output: Hel...
FAQ
Does the suffix count toward the limit?
Both behaviors are supported. "Strict" mode includes the suffix in the limit so total length is exact. "Loose" mode appends the suffix after the truncated content.
What about Unicode and emoji?
The tool counts grapheme clusters by default, so multi-codepoint emoji stay intact and aren't cut in the middle. Switch to a byte-count mode if you need to respect a UTF-8 byte limit (useful for some API constraints).
Can I use a non-ellipsis suffix?
Yes. The suffix is configurable — common alternatives are ..., [read more], or an empty string for silent truncation.