diff --git a/top/top.1 b/top/top.1
index 4b3f02cb..0057a9ad 100644
--- a/top/top.1
+++ b/top/top.1
@@ -718,13 +718,6 @@ By displaying this field, \*(We's own working set could be increased by over
 Should that occur, your only means of reducing that overhead will be to stop
 and restart \*(We.
 
-\*(NT The 'WCHAN' field, unlike most columns, is not fixed-width.
-When displayed, it plus any other variable width columns will be allocated
-all remaining screen width (up to the maximum \*(WX characters).
-Even so, such variable width fields could still suffer truncation.
-\*(XT 5c. SCROLLING a Window for additional information on accessing
-any truncated data.
-
 .TP 4
 37.\fB nDRT \*(Em Dirty Pages Count \fR
 The number of pages that have been modified since they were last
@@ -973,8 +966,8 @@ by a '+' in the last position.
 This \*(CI can be used to alter the widths for the following fields:
 
 .Bd -literal
-   \fI field  default    field  default \fR
-    GID       5       GROUP     8
+   \fI field  default    field  default    field  default \fR
+    GID       5       GROUP     8       WCHAN    10
     RUID      5       RUSER     8
     SUID      5       SUSER     8
     UID       5       USER      8
diff --git a/top/top.c b/top/top.c
index c0c0cbf6..b99c401a 100644
--- a/top/top.c
+++ b/top/top.c
@@ -1382,7 +1382,7 @@ static FLD_t Fieldstab[] = {
    {     4,  SK_no,  A_right,  SF(DRT),  L_statm   },
    {     1,     -1,  A_right,  SF(STA),  L_EITHER  },
    {    -1,     -1,  A_left,   SF(CMD),  L_EITHER  },
-   {    -1,     -1,  A_left,   SF(WCH),  L_stat    },
+   {    10,     -1,  A_left,   SF(WCH),  L_stat    },
    {     8,     -1,  A_left,   SF(FLG),  L_stat    },
    {    -1,     -1,  A_left,   SF(CGR),  L_CGROUP  },
    {    -1,     -1,  A_left,   SF(SGD),  L_status  },
@@ -1901,6 +1901,8 @@ static void zap_fieldstab (void) {
       = Rc.fixed_widest ? 8 + Rc.fixed_widest : 8;
    Fieldstab[P_TTY].width
       = Rc.fixed_widest ? 8 + Rc.fixed_widest : 8;
+   Fieldstab[P_WCH].width
+      = Rc.fixed_widest ? 10 + Rc.fixed_widest : 10;
 
    // lastly, ensure we've got proper column headers...
    calibrate_fields();
@@ -3955,7 +3957,7 @@ static const char *task_show (const WIN_t *q, const proc_t *p) {
                u = hex_make(p->wchan, 0);
             else
                u = lookup_wchan(p->wchan, p->tid);
-            makeVAR(u);
+            cp = make_str(u, W, Js);
          }
             break;
          default:                 // keep gcc happy