diff --git a/crates/text/src/behaviour_tests.rs b/crates/text/src/behaviour_tests.rs
--- a/crates/text/src/behaviour_tests.rs
+++ b/crates/text/src/behaviour_tests.rs
@@ -334,6 +334,56 @@ fn thai_comes_from_a_thai_font_when_one_is_installed() {
     assert_eq!(drawn, want, "every Thai char is in a drawn cluster");
 }
 
+#[test]
+fn thai_emergency_break_can_back_up_to_the_first_letter() {
+    // #1219: in "กเม" the overflow lands between the leading vowel and its consonant; the only
+    // safe break is right after the first letter, so the vowel moves down with "ม".
+    let s = "กเม";
+    let thai = ["Noto Sans Thai", "Noto Sans Thai UI", "Leelawadee UI", "Thonburi", "Tahoma"];
+    if face().is_none() || !thai.iter().any(|t| find_face(t, "Regular").is_some_and(|t| s.chars().all(|c| t.has_char(c)))) {
+        return;
+    }
+    let mut t = text(s, TextAutoResize::Height);
+    t.style.font_size = 16.0;
+    let two = layout(&t, None, None).caret(2).0;
+    let lines = layout(&t, Some(two + 0.5), None).lines;
+    assert_eq!(lines.get(1).map(|l| l.char_start), Some(1), "the leading vowel stays with its consonant");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn thai_emergency_breaks_keep_marks_and_leading_vowels_with_their_letter() {
+    // #1219: Thai writes no spaces between words, so a paragraph is one run with no break
+    // opportunity and wraps where it overflows. Even that emergency break must not start a line
+    // with a mark (it belongs to the letter before it) or end one with a leading vowel (it is
+    // written before the consonant it is read with). Skips without a Thai face.
+    let s = "ระบบช่วยให้ทีมพัฒนาซอฟต์แวร์จัดทำเอกสารที่มีโครงสร้างได้ในที่เดียว";
+    let chars: Vec<char> = s.chars().collect();
+    let thai = ["Noto Sans Thai", "Noto Sans Thai UI", "Leelawadee UI", "Thonburi", "Tahoma"];
+    if face().is_none() {
+        return;
+    }
+    if !thai.iter().any(|t| find_face(t, "Regular").is_some_and(|t| chars.iter().all(|c| t.has_char(*c)))) {
+        return;
+    }
+    let mut t = text(s, TextAutoResize::Height);
+    t.style.font_size = 16.0;
+    let total = layout(&t, None, None).caret(chars.len()).0;
+    let is_mark = |c: char| matches!(c, '\u{0E31}' | '\u{0E34}'..='\u{0E3A}' | '\u{0E47}'..='\u{0E4E}');
+    let is_leading_vowel = |c: char| ('\u{0E40}'..='\u{0E44}').contains(&c);
+    let mut breaks = 0;
+    for k in 1..40 {
+        let width = total * f64::from(k) / 40.0;
+        for line in layout(&t, Some(width), None).lines.iter().skip(1) {
+            let (Some(start), Some(&first)) = (line.char_start.checked_sub(1), chars.get(line.char_start)) else { continue };
+            let Some(&before) = chars.get(start) else { continue };
+            assert!(!is_mark(first), "at {width:.1} px a line starts with U+{:04X}: {s}", first as u32);
+            assert!(!is_leading_vowel(before), "at {width:.1} px a line ends with {before:?} before {first:?}: {s}");
+            breaks += 1;
+        }
+    }
+    assert!(breaks > 0, "the sentence wraps at least once across these widths");
+}
+
 #[test]
 fn symbols_come_from_a_symbol_font_when_one_is_installed() {
     // ⌖ (U+2316) and ⤒ (U+2912) are in no Latin text face. With a symbol font that has them (Apple
diff --git a/crates/text/src/breaks.rs b/crates/text/src/breaks.rs
--- a/crates/text/src/breaks.rs
+++ b/crates/text/src/breaks.rs
@@ -76,6 +76,14 @@ pub(crate) fn is_space(c: char) -> bool {
     class(c) == Class::Space
 }
 
+/// Whether a line may break between `a` and the `b` after it when the text offers no break
+/// opportunity and has to break inside a word (Thai, Lao, Khmer and Burmese write no spaces):
+/// never before a letter's trailing mark, which belongs to the letter before it, and never after a
+/// leading vowel, which is written before the consonant it is read with (#1219).
+pub(crate) fn safe_emergency_break(a: char, b: char) -> bool {
+    !is_trailing_mark(b) && !matches!(a, '\u{0E40}'..='\u{0E44}' | '\u{0EC0}'..='\u{0EC4}')
+}
+
 /// For each char of `text`, whether it starts a grapheme cluster (a user-perceived character:
 /// an emoji sequence, a letter with its combining marks).
 pub(crate) fn grapheme_starts(text: &str) -> Vec<bool> {
@@ -137,4 +145,15 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(!break_between('日', '\u{2007}') && !break_between('\u{2007}', '日'), "nor beside ideographs");
         assert!(!is_space('\u{2007}'));
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn emergency_breaks_keep_marks_and_leading_vowels_with_their_letter() {
+        // #1219: Thai and Lao write no spaces, so these are where a line has to be forced to break.
+        assert!(!safe_emergency_break('\u{0E01}', '\u{0E49}'), "never before a tone mark");
+        assert!(!safe_emergency_break('\u{0E01}', '\u{0E33}'), "nor before SARA AM");
+        assert!(!safe_emergency_break('\u{0E40}', '\u{0E2B}'), "never after a leading vowel");
+        assert!(!safe_emergency_break('\u{0EC0}', '\u{0EAB}'), "nor in Lao");
+        assert!(safe_emergency_break('\u{0E01}', '\u{0E02}'), "between two letters is fine");
+        assert!(safe_emergency_break('\u{0E2B}', '\u{0E40}'), "before a leading vowel is fine");
+    }
 }
diff --git a/crates/text/src/layout.rs b/crates/text/src/layout.rs
--- a/crates/text/src/layout.rs
+++ b/crates/text/src/layout.rs
@@ -506,7 +506,26 @@ pub fn layout(text: &TextData, box_width: Option<f64>, box_height: Option<f64>)
             && i > line_start
             && !it.is_space()
         {
-            let brk = last_break.filter(|b| *b >= line_start).map(|b| b + 1).unwrap_or(i);
+            let mut brk = last_break.filter(|b| *b >= line_start).map(|b| b + 1).unwrap_or(i);
+            // Even an emergency break inside a word keeps a letter with its trailing mark and a
+            // leading vowel with the consonant after it (#1219). Back up to such a boundary, or,
+            // when the line's first character is in one, carry it over to the next line with it.
+            let safe = |k: usize| -> bool {
+                let (Some(a), Some(b)) = (items.get(k.wrapping_sub(1)), items.get(k)) else { return true };
+                let at = b.char_start;
+                let Some(&before) = at.checked_sub(1).and_then(|c| chars.get(c)) else { return true };
+                // A break can only fall between two glyphs that are not the same cluster.
+                a.char_end <= at
+                    && cluster_start.get(at).copied().unwrap_or(true)
+                    && crate::breaks::safe_emergency_break(before, chars.get(at).copied().unwrap_or(before))
+            };
+            if !safe(brk) {
+                // Capped: a malformed run of thousands of marks must not make layout quadratic.
+                let carry = (brk + 1..items.len().min(brk + 257))
+                    .take_while(|&k| items.get(k).is_some_and(|it| it.ch != '\n' && it.ch != LINE_SEPARATOR))
+                    .find(|&k| safe(k));
+                brk = (line_start + 1..brk).rev().find(|&k| safe(k)).or(carry).unwrap_or(brk);
+            }
             lines.push((line_start, brk, false, para));
             line_start = brk;
             i = brk;