diff --git a/src/markdown/emit/adf-to-markdown.test.ts b/src/markdown/emit/adf-to-markdown.test.ts
index df91465..f356af2 100644
--- a/src/markdown/emit/adf-to-markdown.test.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/emit/adf-to-markdown.test.ts
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ test('escapes only text that would otherwise open a construct', () => {
   assert.equal(emitted('x"_y"'), 'x"\\_y"\n')
 })
 
-test('escapes every text bracket in a line where one opens link text, and every text backtick where one opens a code span', () => {
+test('escapes every text bracket in a line where one opens link text, none where none does, and every text backtick where one opens a code span', () => {
   const emitted = (text: string): string => markdown(adfToLosslessMarkdown(document(paragraph({ text, type: 'text' }))))
   assert.equal(emitted('[a](b) [c]'), '\\[a](b) \\[c]\n')
   assert.equal(emitted('see [1] and [docs](url) [2]'), 'see \\[1] and \\[docs](url) \\[2]\n')
diff --git a/src/markdown/emit/line-escaping.ts b/src/markdown/emit/line-escaping.ts
index 30558cc..57b1870 100644
--- a/src/markdown/emit/line-escaping.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/emit/line-escaping.ts
@@ -278,14 +278,18 @@ function unspellableRuns(placed: readonly PlacedSegment[], reading: InlineReadin
     if (segment.highlight === 'open') highlight = { nodes: segment.nodes, start }
     if (segment.emphasis === 'close') {
       const opener = openers.pop()
-      const read = opener === undefined ? undefined : reading.emphasis.get(opener.start)
-      if (opener !== undefined && (read?.closer !== start || read.width !== segment.text.length) && opener.start > (innermost?.start ?? -1)) innermost = opener
+      if (opener !== undefined && !readAsWritten(reading, opener.start, start, segment.text.length) && opener.start > (innermost?.start ?? -1)) innermost = opener
     }
     if (segment.highlight === 'close' && highlight !== undefined && reading.highlights.get(highlight.start) !== start) unreadHighlights.push(highlight.nodes)
   }
   return innermost === undefined ? unreadHighlights : [innermost.nodes]
 }
 
+function readAsWritten(reading: InlineReading, opener: number, closer: number, width: number): boolean {
+  const read = reading.emphasis.get(opener)
+  return read?.closer === closer && read.width === width
+}
+
 function isEscapable(escaping: InlineEscaping | undefined): boolean {
   return escaping === 'backslash' || escaping === 'bracketed'
 }
diff --git a/src/markdown/inline-content.ts b/src/markdown/inline-content.ts
index 7e031c8..f6199a1 100644
--- a/src/markdown/inline-content.ts
+++ b/src/markdown/inline-content.ts
@@ -113,8 +113,8 @@ type SharedScan = Pick<Scan, 'definitions' | 'path' | 'reading' | 'targets'>
 const ownMarksInMark = 'move the opaque carry, or the node spelling marks=empty, out of the mark spelling: it holds its own marks'
 const editorHighlight: AdfMark = { attrs: { color: '#f8e6a0' }, type: 'backgroundColor' }
 const hreflessLink = 'the link mark spells its href: this one spells none'
-const noDefinitions: LinkDefinitions = new Map()
 const linkInLink = 'no link wraps a link: the [content] this one marks already holds one'
+const noDefinitions: LinkDefinitions = new Map()
 const unlinkable = 'the text of this link holds only nodes that take no link: write the link around text beside them'
 const spellableLink = 'link takes the directive form only where CommonMark cannot spell it: this one it can, as [text](url "title") or <url>'
 const textBreak: TextBreak = { kind: 'textBreak' }