diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 0ccf0e17..5b5f5e77 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@
   to add support for this. The value `set-urgency` was chosen for
   forward-compatibility, in the hopes that this proposal eventualizes
   (https://codeberg.org/dnkl/foot/issues/157).
+* **word-delimiters** option to `foot.ini`
+  (https://codeberg.org/dnkl/foot/issues/156).
 
 
 ### Changed
diff --git a/config.c b/config.c
index 3ebb0cae..c25c001a 100644
--- a/config.c
+++ b/config.c
@@ -570,6 +570,21 @@ parse_section_main(const char *key, const char *value, struct config *conf,
         conf->render_worker_count = count;
     }
 
+    else if (strcmp(key, "word-delimiters") == 0) {
+        size_t chars = mbstowcs(NULL, value, 0);
+        if (chars == (size_t)-1) {
+            LOG_AND_NOTIFY_ERR(
+                "%s:%d: [default]: word-delimiters: invalid string: %s",
+                path, lineno, value);
+            return false;
+        }
+
+        free(conf->word_delimiters);
+
+        conf->word_delimiters = xmalloc((chars + 1) * sizeof(wchar_t));
+        mbstowcs(conf->word_delimiters, value, chars + 1);
+    }
+
     else if (strcmp(key, "scrollback") == 0) {
         LOG_WARN("deprecated: %s:%d: [default]: scrollback: use 'scrollback.lines' instead'", path, lineno);
 
@@ -648,7 +663,7 @@ parse_section_scrollback(const char *key, const char *value, struct config *conf
             }
 
             conf->scrollback.indicator.text = xcalloc(len + 1, sizeof(wchar_t));
-            mbstowcs(conf->scrollback.indicator.text, value, len);
+            mbstowcs(conf->scrollback.indicator.text, value, len + 1);
         }
     }
 
@@ -1872,6 +1887,7 @@ config_load(struct config *conf, const char *conf_path,
         .shell = get_shell(),
         .title = xstrdup("foot"),
         .app_id = xstrdup("foot"),
+        .word_delimiters = xwcsdup(L",│`|:\"'()[]{}<>"),
         .size = {
             .type = CONF_SIZE_PX,
             .px = {
@@ -2024,6 +2040,7 @@ config_free(struct config conf)
     free(conf.shell);
     free(conf.title);
     free(conf.app_id);
+    free(conf.word_delimiters);
     free(conf.scrollback.indicator.text);
     tll_foreach(conf.fonts, it)
         config_font_destroy(&it->item);
diff --git a/config.h b/config.h
index 58b6f8a7..8e129329 100644
--- a/config.h
+++ b/config.h
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ struct config {
     char *shell;
     char *title;
     char *app_id;
+    wchar_t *word_delimiters;
     bool login_shell;
 
     struct {
diff --git a/doc/foot.ini.5.scd b/doc/foot.ini.5.scd
index 496162e8..6da1c26c 100644
--- a/doc/foot.ini.5.scd
+++ b/doc/foot.ini.5.scd
@@ -110,6 +110,11 @@ in this order:
 	
 	Default: _none_.
 
+*word-delimiters*
+	String of characters that act as word delimiters when selecting
+	text. Note that whitespace characters are _always_ word
+	delimiters, regardless of this setting. Default: _,│`|:"'()[]{}<>_
+
 
 # SECTION: scrollback
 
diff --git a/foot.ini b/foot.ini
index fea2f2b8..a291f867 100644
--- a/foot.ini
+++ b/foot.ini
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 # login-shell=no
 # workers=<number of logical CPUs>
 # bell=none
+# word-delimiters=,│`|:"'()[]{}<>
 
 [scrollback]
 # lines=1000
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 192a00f0..08c3b680 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -352,6 +352,13 @@ main(int argc, char *const *argv)
             LOG_INFO("arch: %s/%zu-bit, ", name.machine, sizeof(void *) * 8);
     }
 
+    setlocale(LC_CTYPE, "");
+    LOG_INFO("locale: %s", setlocale(LC_CTYPE, NULL));
+    if (!locale_is_utf8()) {
+        LOG_ERR("locale is not UTF-8");
+        return ret;
+    }
+
     struct config conf = {NULL};
     if (!config_load(&conf, conf_path, &user_notifications, check_config)) {
         config_free(conf);
@@ -365,13 +372,6 @@ main(int argc, char *const *argv)
 
     fcft_set_scaling_filter(conf.tweak.fcft_filter);
 
-    setlocale(LC_CTYPE, "");
-    LOG_INFO("locale: %s", setlocale(LC_CTYPE, NULL));
-    if (!locale_is_utf8()) {
-        LOG_ERR("locale is not UTF-8");
-        return ret;
-    }
-
     if (conf_term != NULL) {
         free(conf.term);
         conf.term = xstrdup(conf_term);
diff --git a/misc.c b/misc.c
index b8eb3296..feb5e73b 100644
--- a/misc.c
+++ b/misc.c
@@ -3,22 +3,13 @@
 #include <wctype.h>
 
 bool
-isword(wchar_t wc, bool spaces_only)
+isword(wchar_t wc, bool spaces_only, const wchar_t *delimiters)
 {
     if (spaces_only)
         return iswgraph(wc);
 
-    switch (wc) {
-    default: return iswgraph(wc);
-
-    case L'(': case L')':
-    case L'[': case L']':
-    case L'{': case L'}':
-    case L'<': case L'>':
-    case L'│': case L'|':
-    case L',':
-    case L'`': case L'"': case L'\'':
-    case L':':
+    if (wcschr(delimiters, wc) != NULL)
         return false;
-    }
+
+    return iswgraph(wc);
 }
diff --git a/misc.h b/misc.h
index 06dd3303..3c897336 100644
--- a/misc.h
+++ b/misc.h
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@
 #include <stdbool.h>
 #include <wchar.h>
 
-bool isword(wchar_t wc, bool spaces_only);
+bool isword(wchar_t wc, bool spaces_only, const wchar_t *delimiters);
diff --git a/search.c b/search.c
index 551d21ba..0f1b4610 100644
--- a/search.c
+++ b/search.c
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #define LOG_MODULE "search"
 #define LOG_ENABLE_DBG 0
 #include "log.h"
+#include "config.h"
 #include "grid.h"
 #include "input.h"
 #include "misc.h"
@@ -368,7 +369,7 @@ search_match_to_end_of_word(struct terminal *term, bool spaces_only)
         bool done = false;
         for (; end_col < term->cols; end_col++) {
             wchar_t wc = row->cells[end_col].wc;
-            if (wc == 0 || (!first && !isword(wc, spaces_only))) {
+            if (wc == 0 || (!first && !isword(wc, spaces_only, term->conf->word_delimiters))) {
                 done = true;
                 break;
             }
diff --git a/selection.c b/selection.c
index 6cfacc02..2a2e8034 100644
--- a/selection.c
+++ b/selection.c
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 #include "log.h"
 
 #include "async.h"
+#include "config.h"
 #include "extract.h"
 #include "grid.h"
 #include "misc.h"
@@ -725,7 +726,7 @@ selection_mark_word(struct seat *seat, struct terminal *term, int col, int row,
     const struct row *r = grid_row_in_view(term->grid, start.row);
     wchar_t c = r->cells[start.col].wc;
 
-    if (!(c == 0 || !isword(c, spaces_only))) {
+    if (!(c == 0 || !isword(c, spaces_only, term->conf->word_delimiters))) {
         while (true) {
             int next_col = start.col - 1;
             int next_row = start.row;
@@ -740,7 +741,7 @@ selection_mark_word(struct seat *seat, struct terminal *term, int col, int row,
             const struct row *row = grid_row_in_view(term->grid, next_row);
 
             c = row->cells[next_col].wc;
-            if (c == 0 || !isword(c, spaces_only))
+            if (c == 0 || !isword(c, spaces_only, term->conf->word_delimiters))
                 break;
 
             start.col = next_col;
@@ -751,7 +752,7 @@ selection_mark_word(struct seat *seat, struct terminal *term, int col, int row,
     r = grid_row_in_view(term->grid, end.row);
     c = r->cells[end.col].wc;
 
-    if (!(c == 0 || !isword(c, spaces_only))) {
+    if (!(c == 0 || !isword(c, spaces_only, term->conf->word_delimiters))) {
         while (true) {
             int next_col = end.col + 1;
             int next_row = end.row;
@@ -766,7 +767,7 @@ selection_mark_word(struct seat *seat, struct terminal *term, int col, int row,
             const struct row *row = grid_row_in_view(term->grid, next_row);
 
             c = row->cells[next_col].wc;
-            if (c == '\0' || !isword(c, spaces_only))
+            if (c == '\0' || !isword(c, spaces_only, term->conf->word_delimiters))
                 break;
 
             end.col = next_col;
diff --git a/xmalloc.c b/xmalloc.c
index c90b97dc..a9a6685c 100644
--- a/xmalloc.c
+++ b/xmalloc.c
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include <stdio.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
+#include <wchar.h>
 #include <syslog.h>
 #include "xmalloc.h"
 
@@ -54,6 +55,12 @@ xstrdup(const char *str)
     return check_alloc(strdup(str));
 }
 
+wchar_t *
+xwcsdup(const wchar_t *str)
+{
+    return check_alloc(wcsdup(str));
+}
+
 char *
 xstrndup(const char *str, size_t n)
 {
diff --git a/xmalloc.h b/xmalloc.h
index 2c12cf0a..13d69ca4 100644
--- a/xmalloc.h
+++ b/xmalloc.h
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #pragma once
 
 #include <stddef.h>
+#include <wchar.h>
 #include "macros.h"
 
 void *xmalloc(size_t size) XMALLOC;
@@ -9,3 +10,4 @@ void *xrealloc(void *ptr, size_t size);
 char *xstrdup(const char *str) XSTRDUP;
 char *xstrndup(const char *str, size_t n) XSTRDUP;
 char *xasprintf(const char *format, ...) PRINTF(1) XMALLOC;
+wchar_t *xwcsdup(const wchar_t *str) XSTRDUP;