diff --git a/app/Services/CodeSpans.php b/app/Services/CodeSpans.php
index 3c1a2f9a4..2d194a1cd 100644
--- a/app/Services/CodeSpans.php
+++ b/app/Services/CodeSpans.php
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@
 final readonly class CodeSpans
 {
     /**
-     * A fenced code block, from a line starting with ``` or more (and maybe a language) to a line that is only ``` or
-     * more, or inline code between two backticks on one line. Keep in sync with resources/js/lib/code.ts.
+     * A fenced code block, from a line starting with ``` or more (and maybe a language) to a line that is only as many
+     * backticks or more, so a block can hold a shorter fence, or inline code between two backticks on one line. Keep in
+     * sync with resources/js/lib/code.ts.
      */
-    private const string PATTERN = '/((?<![^\n])`{3,}[^`\r\n]*\r?\n(?:[\s\S]*?\r?\n)?`{3,}[ \t]*(?![^\r\n])|`[^`\r\n]+`)/';
+    private const string PATTERN = '/(?<![^\n])(?<fence>`{3,})[^`\r\n]*\r?\n(?:[\s\S]*?\r?\n)?\k<fence>`*[ \t]*(?![^\r\n])|`[^`\r\n]+`/';
 
     public function __construct(private Highlighter $highlighter)
     {
@@ -35,7 +36,21 @@ public function split(string $text): array
             return [$text];
         }
 
-        return preg_split(self::PATTERN, $text, flags: PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE) ?: [$text];
+        // The prose and the code are found apart, since the fence the pattern captures isn't a part.
+        $prose = preg_split(self::PATTERN, $text) ?: [$text];
+        preg_match_all(self::PATTERN, $text, $matches);
+
+        $parts = [];
+
+        foreach ($prose as $index => $part) {
+            $parts[] = $part;
+
+            if (isset($matches[0][$index])) {
+                $parts[] = $matches[0][$index];
+            }
+        }
+
+        return $parts;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/resources/js/components/wordmark-text.tsx b/resources/js/components/wordmark-text.tsx
index 219a63c4c..3c582a335 100644
--- a/resources/js/components/wordmark-text.tsx
+++ b/resources/js/components/wordmark-text.tsx
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import AppWordmark from '@/components/app-wordmark';
-import { codePattern } from '@/lib/code';
+import { splitCode } from '@/lib/code';
 
 export function WordmarkText({ children }: { children: string }) {
-    return children.split(codePattern).flatMap((segment, segmentIndex) =>
+    return splitCode(children).flatMap((segment, segmentIndex) =>
         segmentIndex % 2 === 1
             ? segment
             : segment
diff --git a/resources/js/lib/code.ts b/resources/js/lib/code.ts
index fece440b2..e44774669 100644
--- a/resources/js/lib/code.ts
+++ b/resources/js/lib/code.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,23 @@
 import type { BodySegment } from '@/types';
 
 // Keep in sync with app/Services/CodeSpans.php: a fenced code block, from a line starting with ``` or more (and maybe
-// a language) to a line that is only ``` or more, or inline code between two backticks on one line.
-const committedCode = String.raw`(?<![^\n])\`{3,}[^\`\r\n]*\r?\n(?:[\s\S]*?\r?\n)?\`{3,}[ \t]*(?![^\r\n])|\`[^\`\r\n]+\``;
-export const codePattern = new RegExp(`(${committedCode})`);
+// a language) to a line that is only as many backticks or more, so a block can hold a shorter fence, or inline code
+// between two backticks on one line.
+const committedCode = String.raw`(?<![^\n])(\`{3,})[^\`\r\n]*\r?\n(?:[\s\S]*?\r?\n)?\2\`*[ \t]*(?![^\r\n])|\`[^\`\r\n]+\``;
+const codePattern = new RegExp(`(${committedCode})`);
 // While typing, a block or inline code that isn't closed yet also runs to the end of the text.
 const typedCodePattern = new RegExp(
     `(${committedCode}|${String.raw`(?<![^\n])\`\`\`[\s\S]*$|\`[^\`\r\n]*$`})`,
 );
 
+/**
+ * Splits the text into prose and code, alternating: even indexes are prose (maybe empty), odd ones are code. The
+ * fence the pattern captures to close a block isn't a part.
+ */
+export function splitCode(text: string, pattern = codePattern): string[] {
+    return text.split(pattern).filter((_, index) => index % 3 !== 2);
+}
+
 const isBlock = (part: string | undefined): boolean =>
     part?.startsWith('```') ?? false;
 
@@ -39,8 +48,7 @@ export function mapProse(
     text: string,
     callback: (prose: string) => string,
 ): string {
-    return text
-        .split(codePattern)
+    return splitCode(text)
         .map((part, index) => (index % 2 === 0 ? callback(part) : part))
         .join('');
 }
@@ -50,8 +58,7 @@ export function mapProse(
  * place in the text.
  */
 export function withoutCode(text: string): string {
-    return text
-        .split(codePattern)
+    return splitCode(text)
         .map((part, index) =>
             index % 2 === 0 ? part : ' '.repeat(part.length),
         )
@@ -65,8 +72,7 @@ export function mapTypedProse(
     text: string,
     callback: (prose: string) => string,
 ): string {
-    return text
-        .split(typedCodePattern)
+    return splitCode(text, typedCodePattern)
         .map((part, index) => (index % 2 === 0 ? callback(part) : part))
         .join('');
 }
@@ -76,7 +82,7 @@ export function mapTypedProse(
  * only the server highlights code.
  */
 export function bodySegments(text: string): BodySegment[] {
-    const parts = text.split(codePattern);
+    const parts = splitCode(text);
     const segments: BodySegment[] = [];
 
     parts.forEach((part, index) => {
@@ -163,5 +169,7 @@ export function bodyBlocks(
  * The prose being typed, without the code.
  */
 export function typedProse(text: string): string[] {
-    return text.split(typedCodePattern).filter((_, index) => index % 2 === 0);
+    return splitCode(text, typedCodePattern).filter(
+        (_, index) => index % 2 === 0,
+    );
 }
diff --git a/tests/Unit/CodeSpans.test.ts b/tests/Unit/CodeSpans.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..94ef4c4b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/Unit/CodeSpans.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import {
+    bodySegments,
+    mapProse,
+    mapTypedProse,
+    splitCode,
+} from '../../resources/js/lib/code.ts';
+
+const nested = '````markdown\n```\nfence inside fence\n```\n````';
+
+test('keeps a shorter fence inside a code block', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(bodySegments(`before\n${nested}\nafter`), [
+        { type: 'text', text: 'before' },
+        {
+            type: 'block',
+            language: 'markdown',
+            html: '```\nfence inside fence\n```',
+        },
+        { type: 'text', text: 'after' },
+    ]);
+});
+
+test('closes a code block with as many backticks or more', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(splitCode('````\ncode\n`````\nprose `x`'), [
+        '',
+        '````\ncode\n`````',
+        '\nprose ',
+        '`x`',
+        '',
+    ]);
+});
+
+test('leaves the code of a nested block alone, committed or being typed', () => {
+    const upper = (prose: string) => prose.toUpperCase();
+
+    assert.equal(mapProse(`a\n${nested}\nb`, upper), `A\n${nested}\nB`);
+    assert.equal(
+        mapTypedProse('a\n````\n```\nstill typing', upper),
+        'A\n````\n```\nstill typing',
+    );
+});
diff --git a/tests/Unit/Services/CodeSpansTest.php b/tests/Unit/Services/CodeSpansTest.php
index be45656c4..6c1c1e376 100644
--- a/tests/Unit/Services/CodeSpansTest.php
+++ b/tests/Unit/Services/CodeSpansTest.php
@@ -142,6 +142,21 @@
     ]);
 });
 
+it('keeps a shorter fence inside a code block', function (): void {
+    $codeSpans = resolve(CodeSpans::class);
+    $text = "before\n`````\n````markdown\n```\nfence inside fence\n```\n````\n`````\nafter `x`";
+
+    expect($codeSpans->split($text))->toBe([
+        "before\n",
+        "`````\n````markdown\n```\nfence inside fence\n```\n````\n`````",
+        "\nafter ",
+        '`x`',
+        '',
+    ])->and($codeSpans->highlight("````markdown\n```\nfence inside fence\n```\n````")[0]['html'])
+        ->toContain('fence inside fence')
+        ->toContain('```');
+});
+
 it('never lets a code block pick its own CSS classes', function (): void {
     $codeSpans = resolve(CodeSpans::class);