<!DOCTYPE html> <style> .container { display: flex; } .cell { white-space: nowrap; overflow: hidden; border: 1px solid red; text-overflow: ellipsis; } span { display: inline-block; background: green; width: 30px; height: 1em; padding: 4px; margin: 5px; } </style> <div id="target" class="container" style="width: 150px;"> <div class="cell"> <span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span> </div> <div class="cell"> <span></span><span></span><span></span><span></span> </div> </div>