diff --git a/frontend/__tests__/input/handlers/insert-text.spec.ts b/frontend/__tests__/input/handlers/insert-text.spec.ts
index 5b961698d3e5..9868c1469ca3 100644
--- a/frontend/__tests__/input/handlers/insert-text.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/__tests__/input/handlers/insert-text.spec.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,8 @@ vi.mock("../../../src/ts/input/input-element", () => ({
 const mockState = vi.hoisted(() => ({
   activeWordIndex: 0,
   correctShiftUsed: true as boolean,
+  // words that have scrolled off the screen and been removed from the dom
+  wordsScrolledOff: new Set<number>(),
 }));
 
 const nav = vi.hoisted(() => ({
@@ -94,6 +96,10 @@ vi.mock("../../../src/ts/test/custom-text", () => ({
 // peripheral collaborators - none of them feed back into the events we assert
 vi.mock("../../../src/ts/test/test-ui", () => ({
   afterTestTextInput: vi.fn(),
+  // words scrolled off the screen are removed from the dom
+  getWordElement: vi.fn((index: number) =>
+    mockState.wordsScrolledOff.has(index) ? null : {},
+  ),
   pendingWordData: new Map<number, string>(),
 }));
 vi.mock("../../../src/ts/test/test-logic", () => ({
@@ -207,6 +213,7 @@ describe("onInsertText - delete on error", () => {
     TestWords.reset();
     mockState.activeWordIndex = 0;
     mockState.correctShiftUsed = true;
+    mockState.wordsScrolledOff.clear();
     setInput("");
     replaceConfig({
       mode: "words",
@@ -343,6 +350,20 @@ describe("onInsertText - delete on error", () => {
       expect(deletesForWord(0)).toEqual([["deleteContentBackward", 1, ""]]);
     });
 
+    it("does not regress into a word that scrolled off the screen", async () => {
+      replaceConfig({ deleteOnError: "letter_hard", stopOnError: "off" });
+      pushWords("hello", "world");
+      for (const char of "hello ") await type(char);
+      mockState.wordsScrolledOff.add(0);
+
+      await type("x");
+
+      expect(nav.goToPreviousWord).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+      expect(mockState.activeWordIndex).toBe(1);
+      expect(deletesForWord(1)).toEqual([["deleteContentBackward", 1, ""]]);
+      expect(getInput()).toBe("");
+    });
+
     it("does not regress on a mistake later in the word", async () => {
       replaceConfig({ deleteOnError: "letter_hard", stopOnError: "off" });
       pushWords("hello", "world");
diff --git a/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/before-insert-text.ts b/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/before-insert-text.ts
index 3f5bbe7adc1e..2bf264e8c25f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/before-insert-text.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/before-insert-text.ts
@@ -101,6 +101,7 @@ export function onBeforeInsertText(data: string): boolean {
     dataIsNotFalsy &&
     !Config.blindMode &&
     !Config.hideExtraLetters &&
+    !Config.deleteOnError.includes("hard") &&
     inputIsLongerThanOrEqualToWord &&
     !goingToNextWord &&
     Config.mode !== "zen"
diff --git a/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/insert-text.ts b/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/insert-text.ts
index 82b4ba637bf8..104f381c7822 100644
--- a/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/insert-text.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/ts/input/handlers/insert-text.ts
@@ -109,7 +109,14 @@ function handleDeleteOnError(now: number): void {
   }
 
   //mistake on the first character of the word - the hard modes send you back
-  if (goBackAWord && inputLength <= 1 && getActiveWordIndex() > 0) {
+  //but only if the previous word is still in the dom (it might have scrolled
+  //off), same check as the one a normal backspace does in onBeforeDelete
+  if (
+    goBackAWord &&
+    inputLength <= 1 &&
+    getActiveWordIndex() > 0 &&
+    TestUI.getWordElement(getActiveWordIndex() - 1) !== null
+  ) {
     //pretend its a normal backspace, not insertText
     const inputType: DeleteInputType = deleteWholeWord
       ? "deleteWordBackward"
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index c38cf5fce706..77201f92a549 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "monkeytype",
-  "version": "26.28.0",
+  "version": "26.32.0",
   "private": true,
   "license": "GPL-3.0",
   "type": "module",