diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index fcb789f..307f141 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "highlight-words-core",
   "description": "Utility functions shared by react-highlight-words and react-native-highlight-words",
-  "version": "1.2.2",
+  "version": "1.2.3",
   "author": "Brian Vaughn <brian.david.vaughn@gmail.com>",
   "license": "MIT",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/src/utils.js b/src/utils.js
index 8ef0530..91de36c 100644
--- a/src/utils.js
+++ b/src/utils.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ export type Chunk = {|
  * @return Array of "chunks" (where a Chunk is { start:number, end:number, highlight:boolean })
  */
 export const findAll = ({
+  activeIndex,
   autoEscape,
   caseSensitive = false,
   findChunks = defaultFindChunks,
@@ -18,6 +19,7 @@ export const findAll = ({
   searchWords,
   textToHighlight
 }: {
+  activeIndex?: number,
   autoEscape?: boolean,
   caseSensitive?: boolean,
   findChunks?: typeof defaultFindChunks,
@@ -27,6 +29,7 @@ export const findAll = ({
 }): Array<Chunk> => (
   fillInChunks({
     chunksToHighlight: combineChunks({
+	  activeIndex,
       chunks: findChunks({
         autoEscape,
         caseSensitive,
@@ -44,8 +47,10 @@ export const findAll = ({
  * @return {start:number, end:number}[]
  */
 export const combineChunks = ({
+  activeIndex = -1,
   chunks
 }: {
+  activeIndex?: number,
   chunks: Array<Chunk>,
 }): Array<Chunk> => {
   chunks = chunks
@@ -57,7 +62,7 @@ export const combineChunks = ({
       } else {
         // ... subsequent chunks get checked to see if they overlap...
         const prevChunk = processedChunks.pop()
-        if (nextChunk.start <= prevChunk.end) {
+        if (nextChunk.start <= prevChunk.end && activeIndex < 0) {
           // It may be the case that prevChunk completely surrounds nextChunk, so take the
           // largest of the end indeces.
           const endIndex = Math.max(prevChunk.end, nextChunk.end)
diff --git a/src/utils.test.js b/src/utils.test.js
index e7b52a8..26bd5f4 100644
--- a/src/utils.test.js
+++ b/src/utils.test.js
@@ -43,6 +43,21 @@ describe('utils', () => {
     ])
   })
 
+  it('shouldn\'t highlight words that partially overlap if passed activeIndex', () => {
+    const combinedChunks = Chunks.combineChunks({
+      activeIndex: 1,
+      chunks: Chunks.findChunks({
+        searchWords: ['thi', 'is'],
+        textToHighlight: TEXT
+      })
+    })
+    expect(combinedChunks).to.eql([
+      {start: 0, end: 3, highlight: false},
+      {start: 2, end: 4, highlight: false},
+      {start: 5, end: 7, highlight: false}
+    ])
+  })
+
   it('should combine into the minimum number of marked and unmarked chunks', () => {
     const filledInChunks = Chunks.findAll({
       searchWords: ['thi', 'is'],