FWIW, I just wrote a tiny library, `dyna-show.el', that defines minor mode `dyna-show-mode', which highlights occurrences of "special" (aka dynamically scoped) variables. It just uses `special-variable-p', which is limited. From the attachment, you can see another limitation: occurrences of a function, e.g. `font-lock-mode', that has the same name as a dynamic variable are also highlighted. If it helps, good; if not, don't use it. ;-) You can use it together with library `hl-defined.el', which highlights symbols known to be defined as Emacs-Lisp functions or variables or both. (It can also highlight symbols _not_ known to be defined as fns or vars.) https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/dyna-show.el https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/HighlightLispFunctions https://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/hl-defined.el