diff --git a/src/data/action/value.cpp b/src/data/action/value.cpp
index 5101587f..ed1e9d57 100644
--- a/src/data/action/value.cpp
+++ b/src/data/action/value.cpp
@@ -140,8 +140,7 @@ TextValueAction* toggle_format_action(const TextValueP& value, const String& tag
 	String new_value;
 	const String& str = value->value();
 	// Are we inside the tag we are toggling?
-	size_t tagpos = in_tag(str, _("<") + tag, start_i, end_i);
-	if (tagpos == String::npos) {
+	if (!is_in_tag(str, _("<") + tag, start_i, end_i)) {
 		// we are not inside this tag, add it
 		new_value =  str.substr(0, start_i);
 		new_value += _("<") + tag + _(">");
diff --git a/src/gui/value/text.cpp b/src/gui/value/text.cpp
index 4319dff4..122e70b3 100644
--- a/src/gui/value/text.cpp
+++ b/src/gui/value/text.cpp
@@ -809,7 +809,7 @@ bool TextValueEditor::canFormat(int type) const {
 			return !style().always_symbol && style().allow_formating && style().symbol_font.valid();
 		case ID_FORMAT_REMINDER:
 			return !style().always_symbol && style().allow_formating &&
-			       in_tag(value().value(), _("<kw"), selection_start_i, selection_start_i) != String::npos;
+			       is_in_tag(value().value(), _("<kw"), selection_start_i, selection_start_i);
 		default:
 			return false;
 	}
@@ -818,11 +818,11 @@ bool TextValueEditor::canFormat(int type) const {
 bool TextValueEditor::hasFormat(int type) const {
 	switch (type) {
 		case ID_FORMAT_BOLD:
-			return in_tag(value().value(), _("<b"),   selection_start_i, selection_end_i) != String::npos;
+			return is_in_tag(value().value(), _("<b"),   selection_start_i, selection_end_i);
 		case ID_FORMAT_ITALIC:
-			return in_tag(value().value(), _("<i"),   selection_start_i, selection_end_i) != String::npos;
+			return is_in_tag(value().value(), _("<i"),   selection_start_i, selection_end_i);
 		case ID_FORMAT_SYMBOL:
-			return in_tag(value().value(), _("<sym"), selection_start_i, selection_end_i) != String::npos;
+			return is_in_tag(value().value(), _("<sym"), selection_start_i, selection_end_i);
 		case ID_FORMAT_REMINDER: {
 			const String& v = value().value();
 			size_t tag = in_tag(v, _("<kw"),  selection_start_i, selection_start_i);
diff --git a/src/script/functions/spelling.cpp b/src/script/functions/spelling.cpp
index 2cc2f1b1..f2c17231 100644
--- a/src/script/functions/spelling.cpp
+++ b/src/script/functions/spelling.cpp
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ inline size_t spelled_correctly(const String& input, size_t start, size_t end, S
 	String word = untag(input.substr(start,end-start));
 	if (word.empty()) return true;
 	// symbol?
-	if (in_tag(input,_("<sym"),start,end) != String::npos ||
-		in_tag(input,_("<nospellcheck"),start,end) != String::npos) {
+	if (is_in_tag(input,_("<sym"),start,end) ||
+		is_in_tag(input,_("<nospellcheck"),start,end)) {
 		// symbols are always spelled correctly
 		// and <nospellcheck> tags should prevent spellcheck
 		return true;
diff --git a/src/util/tagged_string.cpp b/src/util/tagged_string.cpp
index 44f4779d..e7411914 100644
--- a/src/util/tagged_string.cpp
+++ b/src/util/tagged_string.cpp
@@ -148,12 +148,32 @@ size_t last_start_tag_before(const String& str, const String& tag, size_t start)
 }
 
 size_t in_tag(const String& str, const String& tag, size_t start, size_t end) {
-	if (start > end) swap(start, end);
-	size_t pos  = last_start_tag_before(str, tag, start);
-	if (pos == String::npos) return String::npos; // no tag found before start
-	size_t posE = match_close_tag(str, pos);
-	if (posE < end) return String::npos; // the tag ends before end
-	return pos;
+	size_t last_start = String::npos;
+	size_t size = str.size();
+	int taglevel = 0;
+	end = min(end,size);
+	for (size_t pos = 0 ; pos < end ; ) {
+		Char c = str.GetChar(pos);
+		if (c == _('<')) {
+			if (is_substr(str, pos + 1, tag.c_str()+1)) {
+				if (pos < start) last_start = pos;
+				++taglevel;
+			} else if (pos + 2 < size && str.GetChar(pos+1) == _('/') && is_substr(str, pos + 2, tag.c_str()+1)) {
+				--taglevel; // close tag
+			}
+			pos = skip_tag(str,pos);
+		} else {
+			pos++;
+		}
+		if (pos >= start && taglevel < 1) {
+			// not inside tag anymore
+			return String::npos;
+		}
+	}
+	return taglevel < 1 ? String::npos : last_start;
+}
+bool is_in_tag(const String& str, const String& tag, size_t start, size_t end) {
+	return in_tag(str,tag,start,end) != String::npos;
 }
 
 
diff --git a/src/util/tagged_string.hpp b/src/util/tagged_string.hpp
index acfbdafe..1e1216b8 100644
--- a/src/util/tagged_string.hpp
+++ b/src/util/tagged_string.hpp
@@ -73,8 +73,13 @@ size_t last_start_tag_before(const String& str, const String& tag, size_t start)
 /// Is the given range entirely contained in a given tagged block?
 /** If so: return the start position of that tag, otherwise returns String::npos
  *  A tagged block is everything between <tag>...</tag>
+ *  Note: this function looks for a positive number of tags, so in for example
+ *          <tag><tag></tag>x</tag>
+ *        the x is in_tag
  */
 size_t in_tag(const String& str, const String& tag, size_t start, size_t end);
+/// Boolean returning version of the above
+bool is_in_tag(const String& str, const String& tag, size_t start, size_t end);
 
 /// Return the tag at the given position (without the <>)
 String tag_at(const String& str, size_t pos);