diff --git a/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx b/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx
index df40ecf..f5b1d1e 100644
--- a/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/chat/ChatComposer.tsx
@@ -78,13 +78,19 @@ function GhostEditor({ draft, target, locked }: { draft: string; target: string;
         {typed.map((ch, index) => {
           const ok = goal[index] === ch;
           const shown = goal[index] ?? ch;
+          const missedSpace = shown === " " && !ok;
           return (
             <span
               key={index}
               data-typed={ok ? "ok" : "bad"}
-              className={ok ? undefined : "rounded-[2px] bg-error/12 text-error-foreground"}
+              className={cn(!ok && "rounded-[2px] bg-error/12 text-error-foreground", missedSpace && "relative")}
             >
-              {shown === " " && !ok ? "·" : shown}
+              {shown}
+              {missedSpace ? (
+                <span aria-hidden className="pointer-events-none absolute inset-x-0 top-0 text-center [line-height:normal]">
+                  ·
+                </span>
+              ) : null}
             </span>
           );
         })}
diff --git a/tests/play.mjs b/tests/play.mjs
index 54c44ec..c689129 100644
--- a/tests/play.mjs
+++ b/tests/play.mjs
@@ -277,7 +277,23 @@ async function checkWrongKeysShowExpectedText(browser) {
   const bad = spans.map((s, i) => (s.typed === "bad" ? i : -1)).filter((i) => i >= 0);
   check(bad.join(",") === `2,${space}`, `wrong keys are marked at 2 and ${space} (got ${bad.join(",")})`);
   check(spans[2]?.text === text[2], `a wrong letter shows the expected "${text[2]}" (got "${spans[2]?.text}")`);
-  check(spans[space]?.text === "\u00b7", `a key typed in place of a space shows a dot (got "${spans[space]?.text}")`);
+  check(spans[space]?.text.includes("\u00b7"), `a key typed in place of a space shows a dot (got "${spans[space]?.text}")`);
+  await page.addStyleTag({ content: '[data-testid="composer-editor"] { font-family: "Liberation Sans" !important; }' });
+  const ghostLeft = () =>
+    page.locator('[data-testid="composer-editor"] [data-ghost]').evaluate((el) => el.getClientRects()[0].left);
+  await page.keyboard.press("Backspace");
+  await page.keyboard.press("Backspace");
+  await page.keyboard.press("Backspace");
+  await page.keyboard.press("Backspace");
+  await page.keyboard.type(" ");
+  const leftAfterSpace = await ghostLeft();
+  await page.keyboard.press("Backspace");
+  await page.keyboard.type("x");
+  const leftAfterWrong = await ghostLeft();
+  check(
+    Math.abs(leftAfterSpace - leftAfterWrong) < 0.01,
+    `a wrong key on a space does not move the text after it (${leftAfterSpace} vs ${leftAfterWrong})`,
+  );
   check(errors.length === 0, `no console errors in wrong key run${errors.length ? `: ${errors.join(" | ")}` : ""}`);
   await page.close();
 }