diff --git a/collections/sequences/parser/parser-tests.factor b/collections/sequences/parser/parser-tests.factor
index bd62da8962..61fadd8ad4 100644
--- a/collections/sequences/parser/parser-tests.factor
+++ b/collections/sequences/parser/parser-tests.factor
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ in: sequences.parser.tests
 { "foo" ";bar" }
 [
     "foo;bar" [
-        [ char: ; take-until-object ] [ take-rest ] bi
+        [ char: \; take-until-object ] [ take-rest ] bi
     ] parse-sequence
 ] unit-test
 
diff --git a/core/strings/parser/parser.factor b/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
index 11ac31057f..4a68d57225 100644
--- a/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/core/strings/parser/parser.factor
@@ -50,6 +50,7 @@ ERROR: bad-escape char ;
         { char: \- char: \- }
         { char: \+ char: \+ }
         { char: \= char: \= }
+        { char: \. char: \. }
         { char: \, char: \, }
     } ?at [ bad-escape ] unless ;
 
diff --git a/demos/morse/morse.factor b/demos/morse/morse.factor
index 79cf5899f6..d320114aa9 100755
--- a/demos/morse/morse.factor
+++ b/demos/morse/morse.factor
@@ -56,24 +56,24 @@ CONSTANT: morse-code-table $[
         { char: 8 "---.." }
         { char: 9 "----." }
         { char: 0 "-----" }
-        { char: . ".-.-.-" }
-        { char: , "--..--" }
-        { char: ? "..--.." }
-        { char: ' ".----." }
+        { char: \. ".-.-.-" }
+        { char: \, "--..--" }
+        { char: \? "..--.." }
+        { char: \' ".----." }
         { char: \! "-.-.--" }
-        { char: / "-..-."  }
+        { char: \/ "-..-."  }
         { char: \( "-.--."  }
-        { char: ) "-.--.-" }
-        { char: & ".-..."  }
+        { char: \) "-.--.-" }
+        { char: \& ".-..."  }
         { char: \: "---..." }
-        { char: ; "-.-.-." }
-        { char: = "-...- " }
-        { char: + ".-.-."  }
-        { char: - "-....-" }
-        { char: _ "..--.-" }
+        { char: \; "-.-.-." }
+        { char: \= "-...- " }
+        { char: \+ ".-.-."  }
+        { char: \- "-....-" }
+        { char: \_ "..--.-" }
         { char: \" ".-..-." }
-        { char: $ "...-..-" }
-        { char: @ ".--.-." }
+        { char: \$ "...-..-" }
+        { char: \@ ".--.-." }
         { char: \s "/" }
     } >biassoc
 ] ;
diff --git a/libs/cuesheet/cuesheet.factor b/libs/cuesheet/cuesheet.factor
index a7b3bf5ed4..6451a7e922 100644
--- a/libs/cuesheet/cuesheet.factor
+++ b/libs/cuesheet/cuesheet.factor
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ ERROR: unknown-syntax syntax ;
 PRIVATE<
 
 : trim-comments ( str -- str' )
-    dup [ char: ; = ] find drop [ head ] when* ;
+    dup [ char: \; = ] find drop [ head ] when* ;
 
 : trim-quotes ( str -- str' )
     [ char: \" = ] trim ;
diff --git a/libs/fjsc/fjsc.factor b/libs/fjsc/fjsc.factor
index d2105a0d84..4059b88035 100644
--- a/libs/fjsc/fjsc.factor
+++ b/libs/fjsc/fjsc.factor
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ TUPLE: ast-hashtable elements ;
         {
             [ blank? not ]
             [ char: \" = not ]
-            [ char: ; = not ]
+            [ char: \; = not ]
             [ LETTER? not ]
             [ letter? not ]
             [ identifier-middle? not ]
diff --git a/libs/flip-text/flip-text.factor b/libs/flip-text/flip-text.factor
index 5d010bdb64..2fd9b026b6 100644
--- a/libs/flip-text/flip-text.factor
+++ b/libs/flip-text/flip-text.factor
@@ -69,19 +69,19 @@ CONSTANT: CHARS H{
     { char: 7   0x2C62 }
     ! { char: 8   char: 8 }
     { char: 9   char: 6   }
-    { char: &   0x214B }
+    { char: \&   0x214B }
     { char: \!   0x00A1 }
     { char: \"   0x201E }
-    { char: .   0x02D9 }
-    { char: ;   0x061B }
+    { char: \.   0x02D9 }
+    { char: \;   0x061B }
     { char: \[   char: ]   }
     { char: \(   char: )   }
     { char: \{   char: }   }
-    { char: ?   0x00BF }
+    { char: \?   0x00BF }
     { char: \!   0x00A1 }
-    { char: '   char: ,   }
-    { char: <   char: >   }
-    { char: _   0x203E }
+    { char: \'   char: ,   }
+    { char: \<   char: >   }
+    { char: \_   0x203E }
     { 0x203F 0x2040 }
     { 0x2045 0x2046 }
     { 0x2234 0x2235 }
diff --git a/libs/ini-file/ini-file.factor b/libs/ini-file/ini-file.factor
index a8c5442ca8..37938bf1e9 100644
--- a/libs/ini-file/ini-file.factor
+++ b/libs/ini-file/ini-file.factor
@@ -18,14 +18,14 @@ PRIVATE<
         { char: r   char: \r }
         { char: t   char: \t }
         { char: v   char: \v }
-        { char: '   char: ' }
+        { char: \'   char: \' }
         { char: \"   char: \" }
-        { char: \\  char: \\ }
-        { char: ?   char: ? }
-        { char: ;   char: ; }
+        { char: \\   char: \\ }
+        { char: \?   char: \? }
+        { char: \;   char: \; }
         { char: \[   char: \[ }
-        { char: ]   char: ] }
-        { char: =   char: = }
+        { char: \]   char: \] }
+        { char: \=   char: \= }
     } ?at [ bad-escape ] unless ;
 
 : (unescape-string) ( str -- )
@@ -49,14 +49,14 @@ use: xml.entities
         { char: \r   "\\r"  }
         { char: \t   "\\t"  }
         { 0x0b    "\\v"  }
-        { char: '    "\\'"  }
-        { char: "    "\\\"" }
+        { char: \'    "\\'"  }
+        { char: \"    "\\\"" }
         { char: \\   "\\\\" }
-        { char: ?    "\\?"  }
-        { char: ;    "\\;"  }
+        { char: \?    "\\?"  }
+        { char: \;    "\\;"  }
         { char: \[    "\\["  }
         { char: \]    "\\]"  }
-        { char: =    "\\="  }
+        { char: \=    "\\="  }
     } escape-string-by ;
 
 : space? ( ch -- ? )
diff --git a/libs/metar/metar.factor b/libs/metar/metar.factor
index 709d1d2f1e..8f65f23a96 100644
--- a/libs/metar/metar.factor
+++ b/libs/metar/metar.factor
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ ERROR: bad-location str ;
 
 : stations-data ( -- seq )
     URL" http://weather.noaa.gov/data/nsd_cccc.txt"
-    http-get nip char: ; [ string>csv ] with-delimiter ;
+    http-get nip char: \; [ string>csv ] with-delimiter ;
 
 PRIVATE>
 
diff --git a/libs/xml/tests/state-parser-tests.factor b/libs/xml/tests/state-parser-tests.factor
index a857eb143d..9b5639dd12 100644
--- a/libs/xml/tests/state-parser-tests.factor
+++ b/libs/xml/tests/state-parser-tests.factor
@@ -13,6 +13,6 @@ in: xml.test.state
 [ "hello" ] [ "hello" [ take-rest ] string-parse ] unit-test
 [ 2 3 ] [ "12\n123" [ take-rest drop get-line get-column ] string-parse ] unit-test
 [ "hi" " how are you?" ] [ "hi how are you?" [ [ blank? ] take-until take-rest ] string-parse ] unit-test
-[ "foo" ";bar" ] [ "foo;bar" [ char: ; take-char take-rest ] string-parse ] unit-test
+[ "foo" ";bar" ] [ "foo;bar" [ char: \; take-char take-rest ] string-parse ] unit-test
 [ "foo " " bar" ] [ "foo and bar" [ "and" take-string take-rest ] string-parse ] unit-test
 [ "baz" ] [ " \n\t baz" [ pass-blank take-rest ] string-parse ] unit-test