diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.test.tsx b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.test.tsx
index 5cd4c9a58b0..2fd7b95c5a7 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.test.tsx
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.test.tsx
@@ -40,3 +40,23 @@ test("keeps completed block text compact", () => {
     },
   ])
 })
+
+test("marks words for animation only when requested", () => {
+  expect(
+    parseMarkdownNodes("<p>Hello</p>", true).flatMap((node) => (node.type === "element" ? node.children : [node]))[0],
+  ).toEqual({
+    key: "0.0:0",
+    type: "word",
+    text: "Hello",
+  })
+  expect(
+    parseMarkdownNodes("<p>Hello</p>", true, true).flatMap((node) =>
+      node.type === "element" ? node.children : [node],
+    )[0],
+  ).toEqual({
+    key: "0.0:0",
+    type: "word",
+    text: "Hello",
+    animate: true,
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.tsx b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.tsx
index 1ea2befb14a..e302c0123b7 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.tsx
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown-solid.tsx
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ import { Dynamic, render } from "solid-js/web"
 type MarkdownNode =
   | { key: string; type: "element"; tag: string; attributes: Record<string, string>; children: MarkdownNode[] }
   | { key: string; type: "text"; text: string }
-  | { key: string; type: "word"; text: string }
+  | { key: string; type: "word"; text: string; animate?: true }
 
 export function createMarkdownRenderer(root: HTMLDivElement, html: string, words: boolean) {
   const [nodes, setNodes] = createStore(parseMarkdownNodes(html, words))
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ export function createMarkdownRenderer(root: HTMLDivElement, html: string, words
   ready = true
 
   return {
-    update(next: string, nextWords: boolean) {
-      setNodes(reconcile(parseMarkdownNodes(next, nextWords), { key: "key" }))
+    update(next: string, nextWords: boolean, animate = true) {
+      setNodes(reconcile(parseMarkdownNodes(next, nextWords, animate), { key: "key" }))
     },
     dispose,
   }
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ function MarkdownDomNode(props: { node: MarkdownNode; animate: () => boolean })
   if (node.type === "word") {
     let ref: HTMLSpanElement | undefined
     onMount(() => {
-      if (props.animate()) ref?.setAttribute("data-markdown-enter", "")
+      if (props.animate() && node.animate) ref?.setAttribute("data-markdown-enter", "")
     })
     return (
       <span ref={ref} data-markdown-word="">
@@ -45,19 +45,19 @@ function MarkdownDomNode(props: { node: MarkdownNode; animate: () => boolean })
   )
 }
 
-export function parseMarkdownNodes(html: string, words: boolean) {
+export function parseMarkdownNodes(html: string, words: boolean, animate = false) {
   const template = document.createElement("template")
   template.innerHTML = html
-  return Array.from(template.content.childNodes).flatMap((node, index) => parseNode(node, `${index}`, words))
+  return Array.from(template.content.childNodes).flatMap((node, index) => parseNode(node, `${index}`, words, animate))
 }
 
-function parseNode(node: Node, key: string, words: boolean): MarkdownNode[] {
+function parseNode(node: Node, key: string, words: boolean, animate: boolean): MarkdownNode[] {
   if (node instanceof Text) {
     if (!words) return [{ key, type: "text", text: node.data }]
     return node.data.split(/(\s+)/).flatMap((text, index): MarkdownNode[] => {
       if (!text) return []
       if (/^\s+$/.test(text)) return [{ key: `${key}:${index}`, type: "text", text }]
-      return [{ key: `${key}:${index}`, type: "word", text }]
+      return [{ key: `${key}:${index}`, type: "word", text, ...(animate ? { animate: true as const } : {}) }]
     })
   }
   if (!(node instanceof Element)) return []
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ function parseNode(node: Node, key: string, words: boolean): MarkdownNode[] {
       type: "element",
       tag: node.tagName.toLowerCase(),
       attributes: Object.fromEntries(Array.from(node.attributes).map((attribute) => [attribute.name, attribute.value])),
-      children: Array.from(node.childNodes).flatMap((child, index) => parseNode(child, `${key}.${index}`, words)),
+      children: Array.from(node.childNodes).flatMap((child, index) => parseNode(child, `${key}.${index}`, words, animate)),
     },
   ]
 }
diff --git a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx
index 2852674b7eb..4dd58e302a1 100644
--- a/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx
+++ b/packages/session-ui/src/components/markdown.tsx
@@ -54,7 +54,10 @@ type RenderResult = {
 }
 
 const renderedCodeTokens = new WeakMap<HTMLDivElement, RenderedCodeState>()
-const renderedMarkdown = new WeakMap<HTMLDivElement, ReturnType<typeof createMarkdownRenderer>>()
+const renderedMarkdown = new WeakMap<
+  HTMLDivElement,
+  { renderer: ReturnType<typeof createMarkdownRenderer>; raw: string }
+>()
 
 function escape(text: string) {
   return text
@@ -184,7 +187,7 @@ function disposeRenderedMarkdown(root: Element) {
     ...Array.from(root.querySelectorAll<HTMLDivElement>("[data-markdown-block]")),
   ]
   blocks.forEach((block) => {
-    renderedMarkdown.get(block)?.dispose()
+    renderedMarkdown.get(block)?.renderer.dispose()
     renderedMarkdown.delete(block)
   })
 }
@@ -629,17 +632,21 @@ function updateBlock(container: HTMLDivElement, index: number, block: RenderedBl
   const html = source.innerHTML
 
   if (existing) {
-    const renderer = renderedMarkdown.get(existing)
-    if (renderer) {
-      renderer.update(html, block.mode === "live")
+    const rendered = renderedMarkdown.get(existing)
+    if (rendered) {
+      rendered.renderer.update(html, block.mode === "live", rendered.raw !== block.raw)
+      rendered.raw = block.raw
       return
     }
     existing.innerHTML = ""
-    renderedMarkdown.set(existing, createMarkdownRenderer(existing, html, block.mode === "live"))
+    renderedMarkdown.set(existing, {
+      renderer: createMarkdownRenderer(existing, html, block.mode === "live"),
+      raw: block.raw,
+    })
     return
   }
 
-  renderedMarkdown.set(next, createMarkdownRenderer(next, html, block.mode === "live"))
+  renderedMarkdown.set(next, { renderer: createMarkdownRenderer(next, html, block.mode === "live"), raw: block.raw })
   if (!current) {
     container.appendChild(next)
     return