diff --git a/dmenu.c b/dmenu.c
index b264d53..79d7a02 100644
--- a/dmenu.c
+++ b/dmenu.c
@@ -61,6 +61,13 @@ static char * cistrstr(const char *s, const char *sub);
 static int (*fstrncmp)(const char *, const char *, size_t) = strncasecmp;
 static char *(*fstrstr)(const char *, const char *) = cistrstr;
 
+static unsigned int
+textw_clamp(const char *str, unsigned int n)
+{
+	unsigned int w = drw_fontset_getwidth_clamp(drw, str, n) + lrpad;
+	return MIN(w, n);
+}
+
 static void
 appenditem(struct item *item, struct item **list, struct item **last)
 {
@@ -85,10 +92,10 @@ calcoffsets(void)
 		n = mw - (promptw + inputw + TEXTW("<") + TEXTW(">"));
 	/* calculate which items will begin the next page and previous page */
 	for (i = 0, next = curr; next; next = next->right)
-		if ((i += (lines > 0) ? bh : MIN(TEXTW(next->text), n)) > n)
+		if ((i += (lines > 0) ? bh : textw_clamp(next->text, n)) > n)
 			break;
 	for (i = 0, prev = curr; prev && prev->left; prev = prev->left)
-		if ((i += (lines > 0) ? bh : MIN(TEXTW(prev->left->text), n)) > n)
+		if ((i += (lines > 0) ? bh : textw_clamp(prev->left->text, n)) > n)
 			break;
 }
 
@@ -175,7 +182,7 @@ drawmenu(void)
 		}
 		x += w;
 		for (item = curr; item != next; item = item->right)
-			x = drawitem(item, x, 0, MIN(TEXTW(item->text), mw - x - TEXTW(">")));
+			x = drawitem(item, x, 0, textw_clamp(item->text, mw - x - TEXTW(">")));
 		if (next) {
 			w = TEXTW(">");
 			drw_setscheme(drw, scheme[SchemeNorm]);