Applying an ellipsis to multiline text

html

responsive-design

css

best-practices

byAnton Shumikhin·Jan 16, 2025

Get a multiline ellipsis using CSS. How? Simple! Conjure display: -webkit-box;, -webkit-line-clamp: 3;, -webkit-box-orient: vertical;. Here's how to do it:

.ellipsis-multiline {
  // Panic! At the Overflow
  overflow: hidden; 

  // Working 9 to 5, what a way to make an ellipsis
  display: -webkit-box;

  // Yo Stack Overflow, I'm reorienting here!
  -webkit-box-orient: vertical;

  // Clamp my style! *Said no one ever*
  -webkit-line-clamp: 3; // Limit to 3 lines
  text-overflow: ellipsis;
}

<div class="ellipsis-multiline">
  // This will be the lorem of all ipsums!
  Multiline text that will truncate with an ellipsis after the third line. 
</div>

This CSS snippet truncates text after 3-lines, and -webkit-line-clamp is totally customizable.

It's not you, it's your width

To make your ellipsis fit like a glove, consider setting a max-width on the containing element:

.ellipsis-multiline {
  // Width you were here
  max-width: 250px; /* Adjusts width to text */
}

Also, ensure your visual aspect ratio is on point. Make it responsive for all screen sizes:

.ellipsis-multiline {
  // Width or without you
  width: 100%; /* Full container width */

  // Maximum width-age people should attempt
  max-width: 600px; /* Ensure your text doesn't run off-screen */
}

Height control

When the height plays a crucial role, use max-height and line-height to control the visible lines:

.ellipsis-multiline {
  // Not too high, not too low
  max-height: 4.5em; /* For 3 lines, assuming line-height of 1.5em */

  // Keeping the line-height in 'check'
  line-height: 1.5;
}

Leaving it to JavaScript

When times get tough, max-width or -webkit-line-clamp not doing it for you? Resort to jQuery dotdotdot:

$(".ellipsis-multiline").dotdotdot({
  // This height limit is 90px, trespassers will be truncated!
  height: 90, 
});

Customizing the ellipsis

Boost your ellipsis logic with :before and :after pseudo-elements:

.ellipsis-multiline::after {
  // Knock knock. Who's there? Ellipsis...
  content: '...'; /* Custom text for those who read between lines*/
  
  // Right here, right now
  position: absolute;
  
  // I'm bottom text
  right: 0;
  bottom: 0;
}

Blend this with position: relative in the container for a better fit.

Using CSS to spark joy

Enhance your ellipsis with these little touches:

text-align: justify; — To please the eye, and obsessive aligners.
display: block; or display: inline-block; — These define the ground rules when dealing with single line ellipsis.

Final tips and tricks

Test your solutions on practical platforms such as JSFiddle. Check out real-world examples (e.g., YouTube homepage). Practice makes perfect, my friends!

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