diff --git a/FuzzySearch.Test/FuzzyTests.cs b/FuzzySearch.Test/FuzzyTests.cs
index e31c606..f880d21 100644
--- a/FuzzySearch.Test/FuzzyTests.cs
+++ b/FuzzySearch.Test/FuzzyTests.cs
@@ -583,6 +583,46 @@ public void Contains_MalformedUnicode_ComparesAsGivenWithoutThrowing()
 		Assert.IsTrue(result, "Text that cannot be normalized should still be matched as it was given.");
 	}
 
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Contains_DecomposedSubjectWithLoneSurrogate_StillMatchesPrecomposedPattern()
+	{
+		// Act
+		bool result = Fuzzy.Contains(DecomposedCafe + " \uD800", PrecomposedCafe);
+
+		// Assert
+		Assert.IsTrue(result, "An unrelated lone surrogate must not switch off normalization for the rest of the subject.");
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Contains_WithScore_DecomposedSubjectWithLoneSurrogate_StillMatchesPrecomposedPattern()
+	{
+		// Act
+		bool result = Fuzzy.Contains(DecomposedCafe + " \uD800", PrecomposedCafe, out _);
+
+		// Assert
+		Assert.IsTrue(result, "The scoring overload must agree that the normalized text is present.");
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void Contains_PatternWithLoneSurrogate_IsStillNormalized()
+	{
+		// Act
+		bool result = Fuzzy.Contains(PrecomposedCafe + " \uDC00", DecomposedCafe + " \uDC00");
+
+		// Assert
+		Assert.IsTrue(result, "A lone surrogate in the pattern must not switch off normalization for the rest of it.");
+	}
+
+	[TestMethod]
+	public void NormalizeForComparison_LoneSurrogate_KeepsItInPlaceAndNormalizesAroundIt()
+	{
+		// Act
+		string result = Fuzzy.NormalizeForComparison(DecomposedCafe + "\uD800" + DecomposedCafe + "\uD83D\uDE01").ToString();
+
+		// Assert
+		Assert.AreEqual(PrecomposedCafe + "\uD800" + PrecomposedCafe + "\uD83D\uDE01", result);
+	}
+
 	#endregion
 
 	#region Surrogate Pair Tests
diff --git a/FuzzySearch/Fuzzy.cs b/FuzzySearch/Fuzzy.cs
index b62af59..bfef38d 100644
--- a/FuzzySearch/Fuzzy.cs
+++ b/FuzzySearch/Fuzzy.cs
@@ -359,9 +359,56 @@ internal static ReadOnlySpan<char> NormalizeForComparison(ReadOnlySpan<char> val
 		}
 		catch (ArgumentException)
 		{
-			// Text that is not well-formed Unicode (for example a lone surrogate) cannot be normalized.
-			// Compare it as it was given rather than failing the match outright.
-			return value;
+			// Text that is not well-formed Unicode (for example a lone surrogate) cannot be normalized as a
+			// whole. Normalize the well-formed text around it instead, so one stray surrogate does not
+			// switch off canonical equivalence for the rest of the string.
+			return NormalizeWellFormedRuns(value);
+		}
+	}
+
+	/// <summary>
+	/// Normalizes each well-formed run of <paramref name="value"/> to <see cref="NormalizationForm.FormC"/>, leaving
+	/// every unpaired surrogate where it was.
+	/// </summary>
+	/// <param name="value">Text containing at least one unpaired surrogate.</param>
+	/// <returns>The text with its well-formed runs normalized.</returns>
+	/// <remarks>
+	/// An unpaired surrogate has no canonical composition with its neighbours, so treating it as a run boundary gives
+	/// the same result as normalizing the valid text on either side of it.
+	/// </remarks>
+	private static ReadOnlySpan<char> NormalizeWellFormedRuns(ReadOnlySpan<char> value)
+	{
+		StringBuilder builder = new(value.Length);
+		int runStart = 0;
+
+		for (int i = 0; i < value.Length; i++)
+		{
+			char c = value[i];
+			if (!char.IsSurrogate(c))
+			{
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			if (char.IsHighSurrogate(c) && i + 1 < value.Length && char.IsLowSurrogate(value[i + 1]))
+			{
+				i++;
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			AppendNormalized(builder, value[runStart..i]);
+			builder.Append(c);
+			runStart = i + 1;
+		}
+
+		AppendNormalized(builder, value[runStart..]);
+		return builder.ToString().AsSpan();
+
+		static void AppendNormalized(StringBuilder builder, ReadOnlySpan<char> run)
+		{
+			if (!run.IsEmpty)
+			{
+				builder.Append(run.ToString().Normalize(NormalizationForm.FormC));
+			}
 		}
 	}