diff --git a/spec/text-editor-component-spec.js b/spec/text-editor-component-spec.js
index 1d1e4eb9f..b031cba33 100644
--- a/spec/text-editor-component-spec.js
+++ b/spec/text-editor-component-spec.js
@@ -3745,6 +3745,21 @@ describe('TextEditorComponent', function () {
       return event
     }
 
+    function buildKeydownEvent ({keyCode, target}) {
+      let event = new KeyboardEvent('keydown')
+      Object.defineProperty(event, 'keyCode', {
+        get: function () {
+          return keyCode
+        }
+      })
+      Object.defineProperty(event, 'target', {
+        get: function () {
+          return target
+        }
+      })
+      return event
+    }
+
     let inputNode
 
     beforeEach(function () {
@@ -3767,11 +3782,12 @@ describe('TextEditorComponent', function () {
       expect(editor.lineTextForBufferRow(0)).toBe('xyvar quicksort = function () {')
     })
 
-    it('replaces the last character if the length of the input\'s value does not increase, as occurs with the accented character menu', async function () {
-      componentNode.dispatchEvent(buildTextInputEvent({
-        data: 'u',
-        target: inputNode
-      }))
+    it('replaces the last character if a keypress event is bracketed by keydown events with matching keyCodes, which occurs when the accented character menu is shown', async function () {
+      componentNode.dispatchEvent(buildKeydownEvent({keyCode: 85, target: inputNode}))
+      componentNode.dispatchEvent(buildTextInputEvent({data: 'u', target: inputNode}))
+      componentNode.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent('keypress'))
+      componentNode.dispatchEvent(buildKeydownEvent({keyCode: 85, target: inputNode}))
+      componentNode.dispatchEvent(new KeyboardEvent('keyup'))
       await nextViewUpdatePromise()
 
       expect(editor.lineTextForBufferRow(0)).toBe('uvar quicksort = function () {')
diff --git a/src/text-editor-component.coffee b/src/text-editor-component.coffee
index 9b091100d..12f481be5 100644
--- a/src/text-editor-component.coffee
+++ b/src/text-editor-component.coffee
@@ -247,9 +247,50 @@ class TextEditorComponent
     @scrollViewNode.addEventListener 'mousedown', @onMouseDown
     @scrollViewNode.addEventListener 'scroll', @onScrollViewScroll
 
+    @detectAccentedCharacterMenu()
     @listenForIMEEvents()
     @trackSelectionClipboard() if process.platform is 'linux'
 
+  detectAccentedCharacterMenu: ->
+    # We need to get clever to detect when the accented character menu is
+    # opened on OS X. Usually, every keydown event that could cause input is
+    # followed by a corresponding keypress. However, pressing and holding
+    # long enough to open the accented character menu causes additional keydown
+    # events to fire that aren't followed by their own keypress and textInput
+    # events.
+    #
+    # Therefore, we assume the accented character menu has been deployed if,
+    # before observing any keyup event, we observe events in the following
+    # sequence:
+    #
+    # keydown(keyCode: X), keypress, keydown(keyCode: X)
+    #
+    # The keyCode X must be the same in the keydown events that bracket the
+    # keypress, meaning we're *holding* the _same_ key we intially pressed.
+    # Got that?
+    lastKeydown = null
+    lastKeydownBeforeKeypress = null
+
+    @domNode.addEventListener 'keydown', (event) =>
+      if lastKeydownBeforeKeypress
+        if lastKeydownBeforeKeypress.keyCode is event.keyCode
+          @openedAccentedCharacterMenu = true
+        lastKeydownBeforeKeypress = null
+      else
+        lastKeydown = event
+
+    @domNode.addEventListener 'keypress', =>
+      lastKeydownBeforeKeypress = lastKeydown
+      lastKeydown = null
+
+      # This cancels the accented character behavior if we type a key normally
+      # with the menu open.
+      @openedAccentedCharacterMenu = false
+
+    @domNode.addEventListener 'keyup', =>
+      lastKeydownBeforeKeypress = null
+      lastKeydown = null
+
   listenForIMEEvents: ->
     # The IME composition events work like this:
     #
@@ -266,6 +307,9 @@ class TextEditorComponent
 
     checkpoint = null
     @domNode.addEventListener 'compositionstart', =>
+      if @openedAccentedCharacterMenu
+        @editor.selectLeft()
+        @openedAccentedCharacterMenu = false
       checkpoint = @editor.createCheckpoint()
     @domNode.addEventListener 'compositionupdate', (event) =>
       @editor.insertText(event.data, select: true)
@@ -321,24 +365,21 @@ class TextEditorComponent
 
   onTextInput: (event) =>
     event.stopPropagation()
-
-    # If we prevent the insertion of a space character, then the browser
-    # interprets the spacebar keypress as a page-down command.
-    event.preventDefault() unless event.data is ' '
+    event.preventDefault()
 
     return unless @isInputEnabled()
 
-    inputNode = event.target
+    # Workaround of the accented character suggestion feature in OS X.
+    # This will only occur when the user is not composing in IME mode.
+    # When the user selects a modified character from the OSX menu, `textInput`
+    # will occur twice, once for the initial character, and once for the
+    # modified character. However, only a single keypress will have fired. If
+    # this is the case, select backward to replace the original character.
+    if @openedAccentedCharacterMenu
+      @editor.selectLeft()
+      @openedAccentedCharacterMenu = false
 
-    # Work around of the accented character suggestion feature in OS X.
-    # Text input fires before a character is inserted, and if the browser is
-    # replacing the previous un-accented character with an accented variant, it
-    # will select backward over it.
-    selectedLength = inputNode.selectionEnd - inputNode.selectionStart
-    @editor.selectLeft() if selectedLength is 1
-
-    insertedRange = @editor.insertText(event.data, groupUndo: true)
-    inputNode.value = event.data if insertedRange
+    @editor.insertText(event.data, groupUndo: true)
 
   onVerticalScroll: (scrollTop) =>
     return if @updateRequested or scrollTop is @presenter.getScrollTop()