diff --git a/core/modern/modern.factor b/core/modern/modern.factor
index 9a1cb46523..2118eb5022 100644
--- a/core/modern/modern.factor
+++ b/core/modern/modern.factor
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ M: array collapse-decorators
     dup [ length 2 - ] keep [ char: \: = ] find-last-from [ 1 + tail ] [ drop ] if ;
 
 : scoped-less-than-name ( string -- string' )
-    dup [ length 2 - ] keep [ char: < = ] find-last-from [ 1 + tail ] [ drop ] if ;
+    dup [ length 2 - ] keep [ char: \< = ] find-last-from [ 1 + tail ] [ drop ] if ;
 
 : trim-top-level ( string -- string' )
     {
diff --git a/demos/smalltalk/parser/parser.factor b/demos/smalltalk/parser/parser.factor
index 60cb50dd36..57163b7b28 100644
--- a/demos/smalltalk/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/demos/smalltalk/parser/parser.factor
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ Exponent = "e" => [[ char: e ]] (OptionalMinus DecimalIntegerLiteral)?
 
 CharacterLiteral = "$" Character:c => [[ c ]]
 
-StringLiteral = "'" (StringLiteralCharacter | "''" => [[ char: ' ]])*:s "'"
+StringLiteral = "'" (StringLiteralCharacter | "''" => [[ char: \' ]])*:s "'"
                 => [[ s >string ]]
 StringLiteralCharacter = [^']
 
diff --git a/demos/smalltalk/printer/printer.factor b/demos/smalltalk/printer/printer.factor
index cc972050b8..928a8c3bcc 100644
--- a/demos/smalltalk/printer/printer.factor
+++ b/demos/smalltalk/printer/printer.factor
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ M: real smalltalk>string number>string ;
 M: string smalltalk>string
     [
         "'" %
-        [ dup char: ' = [ dup , , ] [ , ] if ] each
+        [ dup char: \' = [ dup , , ] [ , ] if ] each
         "'" %
     ] "" make ;
 
diff --git a/frameworks/ui/backend/x11/x11.factor b/frameworks/ui/backend/x11/x11.factor
index c4ec43a72f..a1ab7c30e9 100644
--- a/frameworks/ui/backend/x11/x11.factor
+++ b/frameworks/ui/backend/x11/x11.factor
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@ M: x11-ui-backend beep ( -- )
 
 PRIVATE<
 : escape-' ( string -- string' )
-    [ dup char: ' = [ drop "'\\''" ] [ 1string ] if ] { } map-as concat ;
+    [ dup char: \' = [ drop "'\\''" ] [ 1string ] if ] { } map-as concat ;
 
 : xmessage ( string -- )
     escape-' "/usr/bin/env xmessage '" "'" surround system drop ;
diff --git a/language/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor b/language/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor
index fa5c880d27..ee418ef835 100644
--- a/language/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor
+++ b/language/peg/ebnf/ebnf.factor
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ C: <ebnf> ebnf ;
             [ "\"\\" member? ] satisfy 2seq ,
             [ char: \" = not ] satisfy ,
         ] choice* repeat1 "\"" "\"" surrounded-by ,
-        [ char: ' = not ] satisfy repeat1 "'" "'" surrounded-by ,
+        [ char: \' = not ] satisfy repeat1 "'" "'" surrounded-by ,
     ] choice* [ "" flatten-as unescape-string ] action ;
 
 : non-terminal-parser ( -- parser )
diff --git a/language/quoted-printable/quoted-printable.factor b/language/quoted-printable/quoted-printable.factor
index 71605e4964..383980b9d8 100644
--- a/language/quoted-printable/quoted-printable.factor
+++ b/language/quoted-printable/quoted-printable.factor
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ PRIVATE<
 
 : printable? ( ch -- ? )
     {
-        [ char: \s char: < between? ]
-        [ char: > char: ~ between? ]
+        [ char: \s char: \< between? ]
+        [ char: \> char: \~ between? ]
         [ char: \t = ]
     } 1|| ;
 
diff --git a/libs/html/entities/entities.factor b/libs/html/entities/entities.factor
index e8b1dde34c..26244276f4 100644
--- a/libs/html/entities/entities.factor
+++ b/libs/html/entities/entities.factor
@@ -10,11 +10,11 @@ IN: html.entities
 PRIVATE<
 
 CONSTANT: html-escapes {
-    { char: & "&amp;" }
-    { char: < "&lt;" }
-    { char: > "&gt;" }
+    { char: \& "&amp;" }
+    { char: \< "&lt;" }
+    { char: \> "&gt;" }
     { char: \" "&quot;" }
-    { char: ' "&#39;" }
+    { char: \' "&#39;" }
 } ;
 
 : next-escape ( seq -- i elt )
diff --git a/libs/html/parser/parser.factor b/libs/html/parser/parser.factor
index 6a4791d321..a519180d5f 100644
--- a/libs/html/parser/parser.factor
+++ b/libs/html/parser/parser.factor
@@ -40,18 +40,18 @@ SYMBOL: tagstack
     $[ [ current _ = ] take-until ] [ advance drop ] bi ;
 
 : read-single-quote ( sequence-parser -- string )
-    char: ' (read-quote) ;
+    char: \' (read-quote) ;
 
 : read-double-quote ( sequence-parser -- string )
     char: \" (read-quote) ;
 
 : read-quote ( sequence-parser -- string )
-    dup get+increment char: ' =
+    dup get+increment char: \' =
     [ read-single-quote ] [ read-double-quote ] if ;
 
 : read-key ( sequence-parser -- string )
     skip-whitespace
-    [ current { [ char: = = ] [ blank? ] } 1|| ] take-until ;
+    [ current { [ char: \= = ] [ blank? ] } 1|| ] take-until ;
 
 : read-token ( sequence-parser -- string )
     [ current blank? ] take-until ;
@@ -70,17 +70,17 @@ SYMBOL: tagstack
     [ advance drop ] bi ;
 
 : read-bang ( sequence-parser -- )
-    advance dup { [ current char: - = ] [ peek-next char: - = ] } 1&&
+    advance dup { [ current char: \- = ] [ peek-next char: \- = ] } 1&&
     [ advance advance read-comment ] [ read-dtd ] if ;
 
 : read-tag ( sequence-parser -- string )
     [
         [ current "><" member? ] take-until
-        [ char: / = ] trim-tail
-    ] [ dup current char: < = [ advance ] unless drop ] bi ;
+        [ char: \/ = ] trim-tail
+    ] [ dup current char: \< = [ advance ] unless drop ] bi ;
 
 : read-until-< ( sequence-parser -- string )
-    [ current char: < = ] take-until ;
+    [ current char: \< = ] take-until ;
 
 : parse-text ( sequence-parser -- )
     read-until-< [ text new-tag push-tag ] unless-empty ;
diff --git a/libs/html/parser/utils/utils.factor b/libs/html/parser/utils/utils.factor
index ad7e7fd5d5..2bb49b5300 100644
--- a/libs/html/parser/utils/utils.factor
+++ b/libs/html/parser/utils/utils.factor
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ IN: html.parser.utils
 : double-quote ( str -- newstr ) "\"" dup surround ;
 
 : quote ( str -- newstr )
-    char: ' over member?
+    char: \' over member?
     [ double-quote ] [ single-quote ] if ;
 
 : ?quote ( str -- newstr ) dup quoted? [ quote ] unless ;
diff --git a/libs/xml/autoencoding/autoencoding.factor b/libs/xml/autoencoding/autoencoding.factor
index eaba50e420..b0c7849a27 100644
--- a/libs/xml/autoencoding/autoencoding.factor
+++ b/libs/xml/autoencoding/autoencoding.factor
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ IN: xml.autoencoding
     ! What if first letter of processing instruction is non-ASCII?
     get-next {
         { 0 [ next next start-utf16le ] }
-        { char: ? [ go-utf8 instruct dup instruct-encoding ] }
+        { char: \? [ go-utf8 instruct dup instruct-encoding ] }
         { char: \! [ go-utf8 direct ] }
         [ check start<name ]
     } case ;
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ IN: xml.autoencoding
 
 : start-document ( -- tag )
     get-char {
-        { char: < [ start< ] }
+        { char: \< [ start< ] }
         { 0 [ start-utf16be ] }
         { 0xEF [ skip-utf8-bom ] }
         { 0xFF [ skip-utf16le-bom ] }
diff --git a/libs/xml/dtd/dtd.factor b/libs/xml/dtd/dtd.factor
index c878b29990..63a1ec4b8f 100644
--- a/libs/xml/dtd/dtd.factor
+++ b/libs/xml/dtd/dtd.factor
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ UNION: dtd-acceptable
 : take-entity-def ( var -- entity-name entity-def )
     [
         take-word pass-blank get-char {
-            { char: ' [ parse-quote ] }
+            { char: \' [ parse-quote ] }
             { char: \" [ parse-quote ] }
             [ drop take-external-id close ]
         } case
diff --git a/libs/xml/entities/entities.factor b/libs/xml/entities/entities.factor
index 4b3ddffde5..c87fe92daf 100644
--- a/libs/xml/entities/entities.factor
+++ b/libs/xml/entities/entities.factor
@@ -6,17 +6,17 @@ IN: xml.entities
 
 CONSTANT: entities-out
     H{
-        { char: < "&lt;"   }
-        { char: > "&gt;"   }
-        { char: & "&amp;"  }
+        { char: \< "&lt;"   }
+        { char: \> "&gt;"   }
+        { char: \& "&amp;"  }
     } ;
 
 CONSTANT: quoted-entities-out
     H{
-        { char: & "&amp;"  }
-        { char: ' "&apos;" }
+        { char: \& "&amp;"  }
+        { char: \' "&apos;" }
         { char: \" "&quot;" }
-        { char: < "&lt;"   }
+        { char: \< "&lt;"   }
     } ;
 
 : escape-string-by ( str table -- escaped )
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ CONSTANT: quoted-entities-out
 
 CONSTANT: entities
     H{
-        { "lt"    char: <  }
-        { "gt"    char: >  }
-        { "amp"   char: &  }
-        { "apos"  char: '  }
+        { "lt"    char: \<  }
+        { "gt"    char: \>  }
+        { "amp"   char: \&  }
+        { "apos"  char: \'  }
         { "quot"  char: \"  }
     } ;
 
diff --git a/libs/xml/writer/writer.factor b/libs/xml/writer/writer.factor
index 8b49f44395..d6d8550d55 100644
--- a/libs/xml/writer/writer.factor
+++ b/libs/xml/writer/writer.factor
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ PRIVATE>
 PRIVATE<
 
 : write-quoted ( string -- )
-    char: " write1 write char: " write1 ;
+    char: \" write1 write char: \" write1 ;
 
 : print-attrs ( assoc -- )
     [
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ M: string write-xml
     ] when write ;
 
 : write-tag ( tag -- )
-    ?indent char: < write1
+    ?indent char: \< write1
     dup print-name attrs>> print-attrs ;
 
 : write-start-tag ( tag -- )
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ M: contained-tag write-xml
     [ write-xml ] each unindent ;
 
 : write-end-tag ( tag -- )
-    ?indent "</" write print-name char: > write1 ;
+    ?indent "</" write print-name char: \> write1 ;
 
 M: open-tag write-xml
     xml-pprint? get [
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ M: doctype-decl write-xml
     ">" write ;
 
 M: directive write-xml
-    "<!" write text>> write char: > write1 nl ;
+    "<!" write text>> write char: \> write1 nl ;
 
 M: instruction write-xml
     "<?" write text>> write "?>" write ;
diff --git a/tools/help/html/html.factor b/tools/help/html/html.factor
index 4a61632166..6e1722d8c9 100644
--- a/tools/help/html/html.factor
+++ b/tools/help/html/html.factor
@@ -16,18 +16,18 @@ IN: help.html
     dup ascii? [
         dup H{
             { char: \" "__quo__" }
-            { char: * "__star__" }
+            { char: \* "__star__" }
             { char: \: "__colon__" }
-            { char: < "__lt__" }
-            { char: > "__gt__" }
-            { char: ? "__que__" }
+            { char: \< "__lt__" }
+            { char: \> "__gt__" }
+            { char: \? "__que__" }
             { char: \\ "__back__" }
-            { char: | "__pipe__" }
-            { char: / "__slash__" }
-            { char: , "__comma__" }
-            { char: @ "__at__" }
-            { char: # "__hash__" }
-            { char: % "__percent__" }
+            { char: \| "__pipe__" }
+            { char: \/ "__slash__" }
+            { char: \, "__comma__" }
+            { char: \@ "__at__" }
+            { char: \# "__hash__" }
+            { char: \% "__percent__" }
         } at [ % ] [ , ] ?if
     ] [ number>string "__" "__" surround % ] if ;
 
diff --git a/tools/tools/scaffold/scaffold.factor b/tools/tools/scaffold/scaffold.factor
index 0d6a220cb1..a88e760f9d 100644
--- a/tools/tools/scaffold/scaffold.factor
+++ b/tools/tools/scaffold/scaffold.factor
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ PRIVATE<
 
 : lookup-type ( string -- object/string ? )
     "/f" ?tail swap
-    "new" ?head drop [ { [ char: ' = ] [ digit? ] } 1|| ] trim-tail
+    "new" ?head drop [ { [ char: \' = ] [ digit? ] } 1|| ] trim-tail
     H{
         { "object" object }
         { "obj" object }