diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 75e3332be4..9756027ef1 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ pub(crate) use {
     process::{self, Command, ExitStatus, Stdio},
     rc::Rc,
     str::{self, Chars},
-    sync::{Mutex, MutexGuard, OnceLock},
+    sync::{LazyLock, Mutex, MutexGuard, OnceLock},
     vec,
   },
   strum::{Display, EnumDiscriminants, EnumString, IntoStaticStr},
diff --git a/src/subcommand.rs b/src/subcommand.rs
index dd8903104e..f0879e0839 100644
--- a/src/subcommand.rs
+++ b/src/subcommand.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@ use {super::*, clap_mangen::Man};
 
 const INIT_JUSTFILE: &str = "default:\n    echo 'Hello, world!'\n";
 
+static BACKTICK_RE: LazyLock<Regex> = LazyLock::new(|| Regex::new("(`.*?`)|(`[^`]*$)").unwrap());
+
 #[derive(PartialEq, Clone, Debug)]
 pub(crate) enum Subcommand {
   Changelog,
@@ -413,26 +415,31 @@ impl Subcommand {
     ) {
       if let Some(doc) = doc {
         if !doc.is_empty() && doc.lines().count() <= 1 {
+          let color = config.color.stdout();
           print!(
             "{:padding$}{} ",
             "",
-            config.color.stdout().doc().paint("#"),
+            color.doc().paint("#"),
             padding = max_signature_width.saturating_sub(signature_widths[name]) + 1,
           );
 
-          let mut within_backticks = false;
-          for chunk in doc.split_inclusive('`') {
-            if within_backticks {
-              let color = config.color.stdout().doc_backtick();
-              print!("{}{}", color.paint("`"), color.paint(chunk),);
-            } else {
-              let color = config.color.stdout().doc();
-              print!("{}", color.paint(chunk.split('`').next().unwrap()));
+          let mut end = 0;
+          for backtick in BACKTICK_RE.find_iter(doc) {
+            let prefix = &doc[end..backtick.start()];
+            if !prefix.is_empty() {
+              print!("{}", color.doc().paint(prefix));
             }
-            within_backticks = !within_backticks;
+            print!("{}", color.doc_backtick().paint(backtick.as_str()));
+            end = backtick.end();
+          }
+
+          let suffix = &doc[end..];
+          if !suffix.is_empty() {
+            print!("{}", color.doc().paint(suffix));
           }
         }
       }
+
       println!();
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/list.rs b/tests/list.rs
index 974ca75f62..396a337afd 100644
--- a/tests/list.rs
+++ b/tests/list.rs
@@ -449,7 +449,11 @@ fn backticks_highlighted() {
       ",
     )
     .args(["--list", "--color=always"])
-    .stdout("Available recipes:\n    recipe \u{1b}[34m#\u{1b}[0m \u{1b}[34mComment \u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m`\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m`\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[34m \u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m`\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37mwith backticks`\u{1b}[0m\n")
+    .stdout(
+      "
+        Available recipes:
+            recipe \u{1b}[34m#\u{1b}[0m \u{1b}[34mComment \u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m``\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[34m \u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m`with backticks`\u{1b}[0m
+      ")
     .run();
 }
 
@@ -463,6 +467,10 @@ fn unclosed_backticks() {
       ",
     )
     .args(["--list", "--color=always"])
-    .stdout("Available recipes:\n    recipe \u{1b}[34m#\u{1b}[0m \u{1b}[34mComment \u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m`\u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37mwith unclosed backick\u{1b}[0m\n")
+    .stdout(
+      "
+        Available recipes:
+            recipe \u{1b}[34m#\u{1b}[0m \u{1b}[34mComment \u{1b}[0m\u{1b}[40;37m`with unclosed backick\u{1b}[0m
+      ")
     .run();
 }