diff --git a/fixtures_inline_whitespace_test.go b/fixtures_inline_whitespace_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a818976
--- /dev/null
+++ b/fixtures_inline_whitespace_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+// Copyright (c) the go-webengine/engine authors.
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: BSD-3-Clause
+
+package engine
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"image"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestInlineWhiteSpaceNowrap: white-space applies to inline elements too
+// (CSS Text 3 §3). A soft wrap opportunity between two characters is
+// controlled by the white-space of their nearest common ancestor (§5.5), so
+// the spaces inside a nowrap/pre span offer no break, while the boundaries
+// around the span still do.
+func TestInlineWhiteSpaceNowrap(t *testing.T) {
+	measure := func(body string) string {
+		t.Helper()
+		page := `<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><style>body{margin:0}h1{width:400px;font-size:20px;margin:0;line-height:26px}</style></head><body>` +
+			body + `<script>var h=document.querySelector('h1'),s=document.querySelector('span');` +
+			`document.title=h.offsetHeight+','+(s?s.getBoundingClientRect().height:0)</script></body></html>`
+		_, info, err := New().RenderHTML(context.Background(), page, "https://demo.test/", image.Rect(0, 0, 800, 200))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		return info.Title
+	}
+	const long = "A rather long heading that would wrap over two lines otherwise"
+	for _, tc := range []struct{ name, body, want string }{
+		{"nowrap on the block (control)", `<h1 style="white-space:nowrap">` + long + `</h1>`, "26,0"},
+		{"nowrap on an inline span", `<h1><span style="white-space:nowrap">` + long + `</span></h1>`, "26,26"},
+		{"pre on an inline span", `<h1><span style="white-space:pre">` + long + `</span></h1>`, "26,26"},
+		{"normal span still wraps (control)", `<h1><span>` + long + `</span></h1>`, "52,52"},
+		// The boundary before the nowrap span is a wrap opportunity: the
+		// span moves to the next line as a whole.
+		{"break before a nowrap span", `<h1>Lead words <span style="white-space:nowrap">` + long + `</span></h1>`, "52,26"},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			if got := measure(tc.body); got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("h1 height, span height = %q, want %q", got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/layout/box.go b/layout/box.go
index 765f8aa..4543e83 100644
--- a/layout/box.go
+++ b/layout/box.go
@@ -85,8 +85,14 @@ type InlineItem struct {
 
 	Width       float64 // advance of the word / DISPLAY width of the image
 	SpaceBefore float64 // width of a space in this item's font
-	Ascent      float64
-	LineHeight  float64
+
+	// NoWrapBefore suppresses the soft wrap opportunity between the previous
+	// item and this one even when SpaceBefore > 0: the white-space of their
+	// nearest common ancestor forbids wrapping (CSS Text 3 §5.5) — the spaces
+	// inside an inline `white-space:nowrap` span. See markNoWrap.
+	NoWrapBefore bool
+	Ascent       float64
+	LineHeight   float64
 
 	// BaselineShift moves this item DOWN (positive) from where plain
 	// baseline alignment (Y = line top + line baseline - Ascent) would place
diff --git a/layout/features_test.go b/layout/features_test.go
index 916f7d6..44711a8 100644
--- a/layout/features_test.go
+++ b/layout/features_test.go
@@ -438,6 +438,24 @@ func TestPercentageHeight(t *testing.T) {
 	assertF(t, "d.H", findBoxByID(root, "d").H, 30)
 }
 
+// TestInlineNowrapSpan: the spaces inside an inline white-space:nowrap span
+// offer no wrap opportunity (CSS Text 3 §5.5), and a nowrap run wider than
+// the line overflows as one piece instead of one word per line.
+func TestInlineNowrapSpan(t *testing.T) {
+	root := layoutHTML(t, `<html><body style="margin:0"><p id="p" style="width:60px;margin:0">`+
+		`<span style="white-space:nowrap">aaa bbb ccc ddd eee fff</span> ggg</p></body></html>`, 300)
+	p := findBoxByID(root, "p")
+	if len(p.Lines) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("lines = %d, want 2 (the nowrap run, then ggg)", len(p.Lines))
+	}
+	if n := len(p.Lines[0].Items); n != 6 {
+		t.Errorf("first line holds %d items, want the 6 words of the nowrap span", n)
+	}
+	if commonAncestor(p.Node, p.Node) != p.Node {
+		t.Error("commonAncestor(a, a) != a")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestFlexColumn(t *testing.T) {
 	src := `<html><body style="margin:0"><div style="display:flex;flex-direction:column">` +
 		`<div style="height:30px">A</div><div style="height:40px">B</div></div></body></html>`
diff --git a/layout/layout.go b/layout/layout.go
index 15380b6..e3925e5 100644
--- a/layout/layout.go
+++ b/layout/layout.go
@@ -874,9 +874,52 @@ func (l *layouter) collectInline(node *dom.Node, st *css.Style, pre bool, cw flo
 	l.beginInlineContext()
 	l.appendInline(node, st, &items, pre, cw)
 	resolveInlineEdges(items)
+	l.markNoWrap(items)
 	return items
 }
 
+// markNoWrap sets NoWrapBefore on every item whose break opportunity with the
+// previous item is suppressed by white-space: per CSS Text 3 §5.5 the
+// white-space property on the nearest common ancestor of the two characters
+// controls breaking at their boundary, and white-space applies to — and is
+// inherited through — inline elements (§3). So the spaces inside an inline
+// `white-space:nowrap` (or pre) span break nothing, while the boundaries
+// around the span, whose common ancestor is the wrapping parent, still do.
+// (The block-level case is the layouter's own nowrap flag.)
+func (l *layouter) markNoWrap(items []*InlineItem) {
+	for i := 1; i < len(items); i++ {
+		a, b := items[i-1].Node, items[i].Node
+		if a == nil || b == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		anc := commonAncestor(a, b)
+		if anc == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		if st := l.sm[anc]; st != nil && (st.WhiteSpace == css.WSNoWrap || st.WhiteSpace == css.WSPre) {
+			items[i].NoWrapBefore = true
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// commonAncestor returns the nearest element that is a or b or an ancestor
+// of both (nil when they share none).
+func commonAncestor(a, b *dom.Node) *dom.Node {
+	if a == b {
+		return a
+	}
+	seen := map[*dom.Node]bool{}
+	for n := a; n != nil; n = n.Parent {
+		seen[n] = true
+	}
+	for n := b; n != nil; n = n.Parent {
+		if seen[n] {
+			return n
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func (l *layouter) collectInlineFrom(nodes []*dom.Node, st *css.Style, pre bool, cw float64) []*InlineItem {
 	var items []*InlineItem
 	l.beginInlineContext()
@@ -892,6 +935,7 @@ func (l *layouter) collectInlineFrom(nodes []*dom.Node, st *css.Style, pre bool,
 		}
 	}
 	resolveInlineEdges(items)
+	l.markNoWrap(items)
 	return items
 }
 
@@ -1767,6 +1811,13 @@ func forceOne(items []*InlineItem) (*LineBox, int) {
 	if i < len(items) {
 		line.Items = append(line.Items, items[i])
 		i++
+		// Items white-space forbids breaking between (NoWrapBefore) stay
+		// together: a nowrap run overflows the line as a whole, as in a
+		// browser, rather than being torn apart one word per line.
+		for i < len(items) && !items[i].LineBreak && items[i].NoWrapBefore {
+			line.Items = append(line.Items, items[i])
+			i++
+		}
 	}
 	return line, i
 }
diff --git a/layout/linebreak.go b/layout/linebreak.go
index 1e4e54a..321e65b 100644
--- a/layout/linebreak.go
+++ b/layout/linebreak.go
@@ -21,8 +21,10 @@ package layout
 func glueRun(items []*InlineItem, i int) (j int, runW float64) {
 	j = i + 1
 	runW = items[i].padLead + items[i].Width + items[i].padTrail
-	for j < len(items) && !items[j].LineBreak && items[j].SpaceBefore == 0 {
-		runW += items[j].padLead + items[j].Width + items[j].padTrail
+	for j < len(items) && !items[j].LineBreak && (items[j].SpaceBefore == 0 || items[j].NoWrapBefore) {
+		// A space that offers no wrap opportunity (NoWrapBefore) still
+		// occupies its width inside the run.
+		runW += items[j].SpaceBefore + items[j].padLead + items[j].Width + items[j].padTrail
 		j++
 	}
 	return j, runW