diff --git a/src/filters/string.ts b/src/filters/string.ts
index 84eb34dd8..6cfb56eec 100644
--- a/src/filters/string.ts
+++ b/src/filters/string.ts
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ export function truncatewords (this: FilterImpl, v: string, words = 15, o = '...
   const str = stringify(v)
   o = stringify(o)
   this.context.memoryLimit.use(str.length + o.length)
-  const arr = str.split(/\s+/)
+  const arr = str.trimStart().split(/\s+/)
   if (words <= 0) words = 1
   let ret = arr.slice(0, words).join(' ')
   if (arr.length >= words) ret += o
diff --git a/test/integration/filters/string.spec.ts b/test/integration/filters/string.spec.ts
index 7f6d271f7..c30c8976e 100644
--- a/test/integration/filters/string.spec.ts
+++ b/test/integration/filters/string.spec.ts
@@ -233,6 +233,12 @@ describe('filters/string', function () {
     it('should default len to 15', function () {
       return test('{{ "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f" | truncatewords }}', '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f...')
     })
+    it('should ignore leading whitespace when counting words', function () {
+      return test('{{ "  Ground control to Major Tom." | truncatewords: 3 }}', 'Ground control to...')
+    })
+    it('should keep trailing whitespace when not truncating', function () {
+      return test('{{ "1 2 3 " | truncatewords: 5 }}', '1 2 3 ')
+    })
   })
   describe('remove_last', function () {
     it('should remove the last occurrence of substring', function () {