diff --git a/src/Text.cpp b/src/Text.cpp
index e2bec2e19c..c324b572f5 100644
--- a/src/Text.cpp
+++ b/src/Text.cpp
@@ -622,6 +622,84 @@ bool Text::cursorBackwardOneWord(Cursor & cur)
 }
 
 
+bool Text::cursorVisLeftOneWord(Cursor & cur)
+{
+	LASSERT(this == cur.text(), /**/);
+
+	pos_type left_pos, right_pos;
+	bool left_is_letter, right_is_letter;
+
+	Cursor temp_cur = cur;
+
+	// always try to move at least once...
+	while (temp_cur.posVisLeft(true /* skip_inset */)) {
+
+		// collect some information about current cursor position
+		temp_cur.getSurroundingPos(left_pos, right_pos);
+		left_is_letter = 
+			(left_pos > -1 ? temp_cur.paragraph().isLetter(left_pos) : false);
+		right_is_letter = 
+			(right_pos > -1 ? temp_cur.paragraph().isLetter(right_pos) : false);
+
+		// if we're not at a letter/non-letter boundary, continue moving
+		if (left_is_letter == right_is_letter)
+			continue;
+
+		// we should stop when we have an LTR word on our right or an RTL word
+		// on our left
+		if ((left_is_letter && temp_cur.paragraph().getFontSettings(
+				temp_cur.bv().buffer().params(), 
+				left_pos).isRightToLeft())
+			|| (right_is_letter && !temp_cur.paragraph().getFontSettings(
+				temp_cur.bv().buffer().params(), 
+				right_pos).isRightToLeft()))
+			break;
+	}
+
+	return setCursor(cur, temp_cur.pit(), temp_cur.pos(), 
+					 true, temp_cur.boundary());
+}
+
+
+bool Text::cursorVisRightOneWord(Cursor & cur)
+{
+	LASSERT(this == cur.text(), /**/);
+
+	pos_type left_pos, right_pos;
+	bool left_is_letter, right_is_letter;
+
+	Cursor temp_cur = cur;
+
+	// always try to move at least once...
+	while (temp_cur.posVisRight(true /* skip_inset */)) {
+
+		// collect some information about current cursor position
+		temp_cur.getSurroundingPos(left_pos, right_pos);
+		left_is_letter = 
+			(left_pos > -1 ? temp_cur.paragraph().isLetter(left_pos) : false);
+		right_is_letter = 
+			(right_pos > -1 ? temp_cur.paragraph().isLetter(right_pos) : false);
+
+		// if we're not at a letter/non-letter boundary, continue moving
+		if (left_is_letter == right_is_letter)
+			continue;
+
+		// we should stop when we have an LTR word on our right or an RTL word
+		// on our left
+		if ((left_is_letter && temp_cur.paragraph().getFontSettings(
+				temp_cur.bv().buffer().params(), 
+				left_pos).isRightToLeft())
+			|| (right_is_letter && !temp_cur.paragraph().getFontSettings(
+				temp_cur.bv().buffer().params(), 
+				right_pos).isRightToLeft()))
+			break;
+	}
+
+	return setCursor(cur, temp_cur.pit(), temp_cur.pos(), 
+					 true, temp_cur.boundary());
+}
+
+
 void Text::selectWord(Cursor & cur, word_location loc)
 {
 	LASSERT(this == cur.text(), /**/);
diff --git a/src/Text.h b/src/Text.h
index 526fa2ee85..34977dab01 100644
--- a/src/Text.h
+++ b/src/Text.h
@@ -193,6 +193,10 @@ public:
 	bool cursorBackwardOneWord(Cursor & cur);
 	///
 	bool cursorForwardOneWord(Cursor & cur);
+	///
+	bool cursorVisLeftOneWord(Cursor & cur);
+	///
+	bool cursorVisRightOneWord(Cursor & cur);
 	/// Delete from cursor up to the end of the current or next word.
 	void deleteWordForward(Cursor & cur);
 	/// Delete from cursor to start of current or prior word.
diff --git a/src/Text3.cpp b/src/Text3.cpp
index b63f7aa7c8..a38b5ab579 100644
--- a/src/Text3.cpp
+++ b/src/Text3.cpp
@@ -633,16 +633,26 @@ void Text::dispatch(Cursor & cur, FuncRequest & cmd)
 
 	case LFUN_WORD_RIGHT:
 	case LFUN_WORD_RIGHT_SELECT:
-		//FIXME: for visual cursor mode, really move right
-		if (reverseDirectionNeeded(cur)) {
-			cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_RIGHT_SELECT ?
-					LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD;
+		if (lyxrc.visual_cursor) {
+			needsUpdate |= cur.selHandle(cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_RIGHT_SELECT);
+			needsUpdate |= cursorVisRightOneWord(cur);
+			if (!needsUpdate && oldTopSlice == cur.top()
+					&& cur.boundary() == oldBoundary) {
+				cur.undispatched();
+				cmd = FuncRequest(LFUN_FINISHED_RIGHT);
+			}
 		} else {
-			cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_RIGHT_SELECT ?
-					LFUN_WORD_FORWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_FORWARD;
+			if (reverseDirectionNeeded(cur)) {
+				cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_RIGHT_SELECT ?
+						LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD;
+			} else {
+				cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_RIGHT_SELECT ?
+						LFUN_WORD_FORWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_FORWARD;
+			}
+			dispatch(cur, cmd);
+			return;
 		}
-		dispatch(cur, cmd);
-		return;
+		break;
 
 	case LFUN_WORD_FORWARD:
 	case LFUN_WORD_FORWARD_SELECT:
@@ -652,16 +662,26 @@ void Text::dispatch(Cursor & cur, FuncRequest & cmd)
 
 	case LFUN_WORD_LEFT:
 	case LFUN_WORD_LEFT_SELECT:
-		//FIXME: for visual cursor mode, really move left
-		if (reverseDirectionNeeded(cur)) {
-			cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_LEFT_SELECT ?
-					LFUN_WORD_FORWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_FORWARD;
+		if (lyxrc.visual_cursor) {
+			needsUpdate |= cur.selHandle(cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_LEFT_SELECT);
+			needsUpdate |= cursorVisLeftOneWord(cur);
+			if (!needsUpdate && oldTopSlice == cur.top()
+					&& cur.boundary() == oldBoundary) {
+				cur.undispatched();
+				cmd = FuncRequest(LFUN_FINISHED_LEFT);
+			}
 		} else {
-			cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_LEFT_SELECT ?
-					LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD;
+			if (reverseDirectionNeeded(cur)) {
+				cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_LEFT_SELECT ?
+						LFUN_WORD_FORWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_FORWARD;
+			} else {
+				cmd.action = cmd.action == LFUN_WORD_LEFT_SELECT ?
+						LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD_SELECT : LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD;
+			}
+			dispatch(cur, cmd);
+			return;
 		}
-		dispatch(cur, cmd);
-		return;
+		break;
 
 	case LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD:
 	case LFUN_WORD_BACKWARD_SELECT: