# Created on savesnippets.com · https://savesnippets.com/Zo2DY6xegqeQtx
def truncate_words(text: str, max_len: int, ellipsis: str = "…") -> str:
    text = text.strip()
    if len(text) <= max_len:
        return text
    budget = max_len - len(ellipsis)
    if budget <= 0:
        return ellipsis[:max_len]
    cut = text[:budget]
    last_space = cut.rfind(" ")
    if last_space > budget * 0.5:
        cut = cut[:last_space]
    return cut.rstrip(" ,.;:") + ellipsis

truncate_words("The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", 20)
# 'The quick brown fox…'