In emacs-lisp and lisp-interaction modes when text is surrounded by single quotes or backtick+single quotes in comments or strings, it gets its own font-lock face, as if it were a code symbol: ;; This buffer is for 'text' that is not saved, and for `Lisp' evaluation. "To create a file, `visit' it with 'C-x C-f' and 'enter' text in its buffer." This creates unnecessary visual noise as these are just regular quoted words, not code symbols. The text should maintain its parent face (comment face or string face).