Text overflow ellipsis can be implemented through CSS. Use white-space: nowrap, overflow: hidden, and text-overflow: ellipsis for a single line; use display: -webkit-box, -webkit-box-orient: vertical, and -webkit-line-clamp to control the number of lines and cooperate with overflow: hidden. 1. A single line needs to set the width, otherwise it will not take effect; 2. Multiple lines need to specify the number of lines and rely on the support of WebKit browser; 3. Common problems include the container's size is not limited, the text is not overflowed, layout interference or word-break affecting calculations; 4. Pay attention to edge situations such as the error display of short text, punctuation truncation, and the impact of dynamic fonts on mobile.

Text overflow ellipsis is a neat way to handle text that doesn't fit within its container. Instead of letting the text run off or wrap awkwardly, you can show an ellipsis ( ... ) to indicate there's more content. It's especially useful in UI design for things like headlines, buttons, or navigation menus.

Basic Setup: Single Line Ellipsis

To apply a simple ellipsis on a single line, you'll need a few CSS properties working together:

• white-space: nowrap – prevents the text from wrapping
• overflow: hidden – hides any text that goes beyond the container
• text-overflow: ellipsis – adds the ... where the text is cut off

 .ellipsis {
  white-space: nowrap;
  overflow: hidden;
  text-overflow: ellipsis;
}

This works well when your element has a defined width — either fixed (like 200px ) or relative (like 100% ). Without a set width, the container might expand to fit all the text, and no ellipsis will appear.

Multi-line Ellipsis (The Practical Way)

CSS doesn't have a built-in property for multi-line ellipsis like it does for single lines. But you can achieve it using -webkit-line-clamp , which limits the number of lines displayed before cutting off with an ellipsis.

Here's how to do it:

 .multi-line-ellipsis {
  display: -webkit-box;
  -webkit-box-orient: vertical;
  -webkit-line-clamp: 3;
  overflow: hidden;
}

This method uses flexbox-based logic inside WebKit browsers (like Chrome and Safari), so it's widely supported these days. Just keep in mind:

• You must include both -webkit-box-orient: vertical and display: -webkit-box
• This only works when the parent has a defined height or when line-clamp is used

You can adjust the number in -webkit-line-clamp to control how many lines are shown before the ellipsis kicks in.

When It Might Not Work

Sometimes the ellipsis won't show up even if you've written the correct CSS. Here are common reasons why:

• ? The element isn't constrained in width or height
• ? The text isn't overflowing (try reducing space or increasing font size temporarily)
• ? Other layout styles like flex or grid interfere with internal rendering
• ? Using word-break: break-all might affect how overflow is calculated

If you're having trouble, try adding a background color or border to the container to better see its boundaries.

A Few Edge Cases to Watch For

There are some small details that can trip people up:

• Ellipsis may not appear correctly with very short text — sometimes it shows without needing to
• In some cases, punctuation at the end of the line gets clipped before the actual word
• On mobile devices, zooming or dynamic text sizing can affect how overflow behaves

One trick is to add a bit of padding or use box-sizing: border-box so the overflow calculation includes borders and padding.

Basically that's it.

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