✂️ Truncate Text
Shorten any text to an exact word or character limit. Cuts at word boundaries so you never get partial words. Custom ellipsis, instant results. Free, private, no signup.
About the Text Truncator
This tool shortens any text to a precise word or character limit, automatically appending an ellipsis so the reader knows the content continues. It always cuts at a word boundary — no partial words appear at the end of the output.
Word vs Character Limit
- Characters — counts every character including spaces and punctuation. Use for platforms with character limits: Google meta descriptions (155–160), Twitter (280), Open Graph descriptions
- Words — counts space-separated words. Use for article summaries, card previews and content where readability is more important than exact character count
Common Use Cases
- Generating SEO meta descriptions within Google's 155-character window
- Creating tweet-length summaries from longer articles
- Producing card preview text for blog listings and search results
- Limiting product descriptions to a consistent length across a catalogue
- Generating excerpt previews for newsletters and email campaigns
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between word limit and character limit?
+Word limit counts individual words separated by spaces and cuts after the specified count. Character limit counts every character including spaces and punctuation. Use word limit for readability targets and character limit for platforms that count characters — Twitter (280), Google meta descriptions (155–160 chars).
Does character truncation cut mid-word?
+No. The tool cuts at a word boundary so you never get partial words. If the character limit falls in the middle of a word, it steps back to the last space and cuts there, then appends the ellipsis. The result is always clean and readable.
Can I use a custom ellipsis?
+Yes. The Ellipsis field accepts any text. You can use the standard three dots (...), a single Unicode ellipsis character (…), a dash (—), the word " [more]", or leave it empty to produce a hard cut with no suffix at all.
What if my text is already shorter than the limit?
+If the text is already within the specified limit, no truncation is applied and the original text is returned as-is without the ellipsis. You will see a note in the stats bar confirming this.