C-u C-x = on the first character of the second word says: --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8--- character: श (2358, #o4466, #x936) preferred charset: unicode (Unicode (ISO10646)) code point: 0x0936 syntax: w which means: word category: i:Indian buffer code: #xE0 #xA4 #xB6 file code: #xE0 #xA4 #xB6 (encoded by coding system utf-8-emacs) display: by this font (glyph code) -unknown-FreeSans-normal-normal-normal-*-11-*-*-*-*-0-iso10646-1 (#x4DB) --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8--- I ran gdb, but I did not know what I was looking for, and I got lost. manoj -- To find a friend one must close one eye; to keep him -- two. Norman Douglas Manoj Srivastava 1024D/BF24424C print 4966 F272 D093 B493 410B 924B 21BA DABB BF24 424C