diff --git a/src/Predict.ts b/src/Predict.ts
index bf845ca9d2028c11ccb0c297339e1bc9fa384bc7..998f6e2c2f6e0a300a277b5bc18aa8ab1cf46b64 100644
--- a/src/Predict.ts
+++ b/src/Predict.ts
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ interface TailState {
   delims: DelimState[];
   exclusive: ExclusiveState | null;
   links: LinkState[];
+  pendingDelim: DelimState | null;
 }
 
 const NESTABLE_DELIMS = new Set<DelimToken>(["*", "**", "_", "__"]);
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ function parseTail(tail: string): TailState {
     delims: [],
     exclusive: null,
     links: [],
+    pendingDelim: null,
   };
 
   for (let i = 0; i < tail.length; i++) {
@@ -179,6 +181,11 @@ function consumeDelim(state: TailState, tail: string, start: number) {
     return start + token.length;
   }
 
+  if (start + token.length === tail.length) {
+    state.pendingDelim = { start, token };
+    return start + token.length;
+  }
+
   if (!canOpenDelim(tail, start, token)) return start + token.length;
 
   state.delims.push({ start, token });
@@ -277,14 +284,16 @@ function renderTail(tail: string, state: TailState) {
   if (nestedClosers) return appendCloser(tail, nestedClosers);
 
   const open = findLastOpen(state);
-  if (!open) return tail;
+  if (!open) return state.pendingDelim ? tail.slice(0, state.pendingDelim.start) : tail;
 
   if (open.kind === "delim") {
-    if (!hasContentAfter(tail, open.start, open.token.length)) return tail;
+    if (!hasContentAfter(tail, open.start, open.token.length)) return tail.slice(0, open.start);
     return appendCloserBeforeTrailingInlineWhitespace(tail, open.token);
   }
 
-  if (!hasContentAfter(tail, open.start, open.token.length)) return tail;
+  if (!hasContentAfter(tail, open.start, open.token.length)) {
+    return open.kind === "fence" ? tail : tail.slice(0, open.start);
+  }
   if (open.kind === "fence") return tail;
   if (open.kind === "code") return appendCloser(tail, open.token);
   if (open.token === "$$") return appendCloser(tail, (tail.endsWith("\n") ? "" : "\n") + "$$");
@@ -296,7 +305,7 @@ function renderOpenLink(tail: string, state: LinkState) {
   const before = tail.slice(0, state.start);
 
   if (state.phase === "text") {
-    if (!hasContentAfter(tail, state.start, 1)) return tail;
+    if (!hasContentAfter(tail, state.start, 1)) return before;
     return before + tail.slice(state.start + 1);
   }
 
diff --git a/tests/prediction.test.ts b/tests/prediction.test.ts
index ac967ef68bd5138928d8a6bef22fd5be457ee5ed..e7344395f458757442735e9a6759158084bba1b5 100644
--- a/tests/prediction.test.ts
+++ b/tests/prediction.test.ts
@@ -177,6 +177,10 @@ describe.each(["stateless", "stateful"] as const)("%s processing", (mode) => {
   ])("%s", (_name, input, expected) => check(input, expected));
 
   describe("whitespace around emphasis delimiters", () => {
+    test.each(["* ", "** ", "_ ", "__ ", "~~ "])("keeps disqualified opener %j visible", (input) =>
+      check(input, input),
+    );
+
     test.each([
       "hello * world",
       "hello* world",
@@ -329,14 +333,14 @@ describe.each(["stateless", "stateful"] as const)("%s processing", (mode) => {
 
   describe("opener-only inputs", () => {
     test.each([
-      ["lone italic delimiter", "*", "*"],
-      ["lone bold delimiter", "**", "**"],
-      ["lone underscore delimiter", "_", "_"],
-      ["lone double underscore delimiter", "__", "__"],
-      ["lone strike delimiter", "~~", "~~"],
-      ["lone code delimiter", "`", "`"],
-      ["lone inline math delimiter", "$", "$"],
-      ["bare open bracket", "[", "["],
+      ["lone italic delimiter", "*", ""],
+      ["lone bold delimiter", "**", ""],
+      ["lone underscore delimiter", "_", ""],
+      ["lone double underscore delimiter", "__", ""],
+      ["lone strike delimiter", "~~", ""],
+      ["lone code delimiter", "`", ""],
+      ["lone inline math delimiter", "$", ""],
+      ["bare open bracket", "[", ""],
       ["completed label without url at bol", "[x]", "x"],
       ["bare url opener at bol", "[x](", "x"],
     ])("%s", (_name, input, expected) => check(input, expected));