Truncate Text
Shorten any text to a set number of characters or words and append an ellipsis — without splitting a word in half. Runs entirely in your browser, no server, no sign-up.
What this tool does
Truncate (shorten) text to a maximum number of characters or words, right
in your browser. When the text is longer than the limit it is cut and an ellipsis
(… by default) is appended; text that already fits is returned unchanged. Nothing
is sent to a server — it runs locally, works offline, and needs no sign-up.
Paste your text, set a Limit, choose whether to measure that limit in characters or words, and tune the options.
How it truncates
- By characters (default): the result is kept at or below your limit. By default the cut is backed up to the last space so a word is never split in half, and the ellipsis counts toward the limit so the whole output — marker included — fits within it.
- By words: the first N whitespace-separated words are kept and the ellipsis is appended.
- If the text is already within the limit, it is returned as-is, with no ellipsis.
Options
| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| Limit | The maximum number of units to keep (default 100). |
| Measure limit in | Count the limit in characters (default) or whole words. |
| Ellipsis / suffix | The marker appended when text is cut (default …). Type ... for three dots, or your own suffix such as (read more). |
| Ellipsis counts toward the limit (default on) | When on, room is reserved for the marker so the whole result fits within the limit. Turn off to keep the limit characters plus the marker. Only applies to character truncation. |
| Allow breaking words mid-cut (default off) | When off, the cut backs up to the last space so a word is never split. Turn on to cut exactly at the character limit. Only applies to character truncation. |
Examples
| Input | Limit | Output |
|---|---|---|
the quick brown fox | 12 characters | the quick… |
the quick brown fox | 12 characters, break words on | the quick b… |
the quick brown fox jumps | 3 words | the quick brown… |
hello | 20 characters | hello (unchanged) |
FAQ
Is it free and private?
Yes — your text never leaves your device, and it keeps working offline once the page has loaded.
Does it count by characters or display width?
It counts Unicode characters (scalar values), which is exact for plain prose. Wide CJK glyphs and combining marks may render wider than their character count.
Can I truncate with no ellipsis at all?
On this page, clearing the ellipsis
field falls back to the default …. To cut with no marker, use the CLI or chat
tool and pass an empty ellipsis.
Is this good for meta descriptions or previews?
Yes — set the limit to your target length (for example 155–160 characters for a meta description) and the word-safe cut keeps the snippet readable.
Developer & Automation Access
Run it from the terminal
Same engine as this page, headless — via the gizza CLI:
gizza tool truncate-text "Paste the text you want to shorten…"New to the CLI? Get gizza →
Open it by URL
Pre-fill and auto-run this tool with query parameters — the names match the API/CLI:
https://gizza.ai/tools/truncate-text/?text=Paste%20the%20text%20you%20want%20to%20shorten%E2%80%A6&length=100&unit=characters&ellipsis=%E2%80%A6&count_ellipsis=true&break_words=trueMachine-readable descriptor: tool.json — title + parameters JSON Schema for agents.