diff --git a/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor b/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
index e5cbb176da..30f7aa90ce 100644
--- a/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
+++ b/extra/modern/modern-tests.factor
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 USING: modern modern.slices tools.test ;
 IN: modern.tests
 
+! Comment
 {
     { { "!" "" } }
 } [ "!" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
@@ -18,3 +19,21 @@ IN: modern.tests
 {
     { { "!" "lol" } }
 } [ "!lol" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+
+! Colon
+{
+    { ":asdf:" }
+} [ ":asdf:" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+
+{
+    { { "one:" "1" } }
+} [ "one: 1" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+
+{
+    { "1" ":>" "one" }
+} [ "1 :> one" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
+
+! Acute
+{
+    { { "<A" { } "A>" } }
+} [ "<A A>" string>literals >strings ] unit-test
diff --git a/extra/modern/modern.factor b/extra/modern/modern.factor
index f6fd7bfc6d..190c6ebcea 100644
--- a/extra/modern/modern.factor
+++ b/extra/modern/modern.factor
@@ -186,18 +186,12 @@ ERROR: unexpected-terminator n string slice ;
 
 ERROR: colon-word-must-be-all-uppercase-or-lowercase n string word ;
 : read-colon ( n string slice -- n' string colon )
-    dup length 1 = [
-        dup prev-char-from-slice { CHAR: \s CHAR: \r CHAR: \n f } member? [
-            read-til-semicolon
-        ] [
-            read-lowercase-colon
-        ] if
-    ] [
-        {
-            { [ dup strict-upper? ] [ strict-upper on read-til-semicolon strict-upper off ] }
-            [ read-lowercase-colon ]
-        } cond
-    ] if ;
+    
+    {
+        { [ dup strict-upper? ] [ strict-upper on read-til-semicolon strict-upper off ] }
+        { [ dup ":" tail? ] [ dup ":" head? [ read-lowercase-colon ] unless ] } ! :foo: vs foo:
+        [ ]
+    } cond ;
 
 : read-acute ( n string slice -- n' string acute )
     [ matching-section-delimiter 1array lex-until ] keep swap unclip-last 3array ;
@@ -234,6 +228,7 @@ ERROR: mismatched-terminator n string slice ;
             { CHAR: \\ [ read-backslash ] }
             { CHAR: \! [ read-exclamation ] }
             { CHAR: \: [
+                merge-slice-til-whitespace
                 dup strict-upper? strict-upper get and [
                     length swap [ - ] dip f
                     strict-upper off