diff --git a/crates/ide-spell/src/lib.rs b/crates/ide-spell/src/lib.rs
index 3e4f8023f..330a55a68 100644
--- a/crates/ide-spell/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/ide-spell/src/lib.rs
@@ -18,7 +18,8 @@ use std::time::SystemTime;
 
 pub use words::{MIN_WORD_CHARS, WordSpan, words};
 
-/// Where a region's words come from; strings and comments understand escapes.
+/// Where a region's words come from; strings understand escapes, comments and
+/// prose skip backslash commands (`\brief`).
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub enum RegionKind {
     Comment,
diff --git a/crates/ide-spell/src/words.rs b/crates/ide-spell/src/words.rs
index 430fb877f..8c345fca1 100644
--- a/crates/ide-spell/src/words.rs
+++ b/crates/ide-spell/src/words.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,11 @@ pub struct WordSpan {
 /// Words of `text[start..end]` in order, as absolute byte ranges.
 pub fn words(text: &str, start: usize, end: usize, kind: RegionKind, out: &mut Vec<WordSpan>) {
     let Some(slice) = text.get(start..end) else { return };
-    let escapes = !matches!(kind, RegionKind::Name);
+    let escapes = match kind {
+        RegionKind::Name => Escapes::None,
+        RegionKind::String => Escapes::Char,
+        RegionKind::Comment | RegionKind::Prose => Escapes::Word,
+    };
     let mut chunk_start = None;
     for (i, c) in slice.char_indices().chain(std::iter::once((slice.len(), ' '))) {
         if c.is_whitespace() {
@@ -30,6 +34,18 @@ pub fn words(text: &str, start: usize, end: usize, kind: RegionKind, out: &mut V
     }
 }
 
+/// What a `\` hides from the spell checker.
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+enum Escapes {
+    /// Identifiers have no escapes.
+    None,
+    /// String literals: the escape letter (`\n`, `\t`), the rest of the word is text.
+    Char,
+    /// Comments and prose: the whole word, a Doxygen / TeX command (`\brief`,
+    /// `\param`) or an escape quoted in a comment (`\n`).
+    Word,
+}
+
 /// URLs, e-mail addresses and the like are not prose.
 fn skip_chunk(chunk: &str) -> bool {
     if chunk.contains("://") || chunk.starts_with("www.") {
@@ -41,7 +57,7 @@ fn skip_chunk(chunk: &str) -> bool {
     }
 }
 
-fn chunk(slice: &str, from: usize, to: usize, escapes: bool, base: usize, out: &mut Vec<WordSpan>) {
+fn chunk(slice: &str, from: usize, to: usize, escapes: Escapes, base: usize, out: &mut Vec<WordSpan>) {
     let text = &slice[from..to];
     if skip_chunk(text) {
         return;
@@ -57,9 +73,15 @@ fn chunk(slice: &str, from: usize, to: usize, escapes: bool, base: usize, out: &
         if let Some(s) = run.take() {
             token(text, s, i, base + from, out);
         }
-        // `\n`, `\t`, `é`: the escape letter is not part of the next word.
-        if escapes && c == '\\' {
-            chars.next();
+        if c == '\\' {
+            match escapes {
+                Escapes::None => {}
+                // `\n`, `\t`, `é`: the escape letter is not part of the next word.
+                Escapes::Char => {
+                    chars.next();
+                }
+                Escapes::Word => while chars.next_if(|&(_, c)| c.is_alphanumeric() || c == '_').is_some() {},
+            }
         }
     }
     if let Some(s) = run {
@@ -164,6 +186,14 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(split("// 中文注释 naïve", RegionKind::Comment), ["naïve"]);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn skips_backslash_commands_in_comments() {
+        assert_eq!(split("/// \\brief Returns the sum.", RegionKind::Comment), ["Returns", "the", "sum"]);
+        assert_eq!(split("@see \\ref Foo, \\param[in] count", RegionKind::Comment), ["see", "Foo", "count"]);
+        assert_eq!(split("prints \\nthe line", RegionKind::Comment), ["prints", "line"]);
+        assert_eq!(split("\\emph{word} text", RegionKind::Prose), ["word", "text"]);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn keeps_apostrophes_inside_words() {
         assert_eq!(split("'don't' shouldn't", RegionKind::Comment), ["don't", "shouldn't"]);