diff --git a/src/javascript/models/HeadlineFinder.jsx b/src/javascript/models/HeadlineFinder.jsx
index 4061400..5b9d8bd 100644
--- a/src/javascript/models/HeadlineFinder.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/models/HeadlineFinder.jsx
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { normalizedCharCodeArray } from '../functions.jsx'
+import { normalizedCharCodeArray } from '../stringFunctions.jsx'
 
 export default class HeadlineFinder {
 
diff --git a/src/javascript/models/LineConverter.jsx b/src/javascript/models/LineConverter.jsx
index 9729cd2..bb7160a 100644
--- a/src/javascript/models/LineConverter.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/models/LineConverter.jsx
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import WordType from './markdown/WordType.jsx';
 import LineItem from './LineItem.jsx';
 import StashingStream from './StashingStream.jsx';
 import { ParsedElements } from './PageItem.jsx';
-import { isNumber } from '../functions.jsx'
+import { isNumber, isListItemCharacter } from '../stringFunctions.jsx'
 import { sortByX } from '../pageItemFunctions.jsx'
 
 // Converts text items which have been grouped to a line (through TextItemLineGrouper) to a single LineItem doing inline transformations like 
@@ -146,13 +146,20 @@ function combineText(textItems) {
     var text = '';
     var lastItem;
     textItems.forEach(textItem => {
-        if (lastItem && !text.endsWith(' ') && !textItem.text.startsWith(' ')) {
-            const xDistance = textItem.x - lastItem.x - lastItem.width;
-            if (xDistance > 5) {
-                text += ' ';
+        var textToAdd = textItem.text;
+        if (!text.endsWith(' ') && !textToAdd.startsWith(' ')) {
+            if (lastItem) {
+                const xDistance = textItem.x - lastItem.x - lastItem.width;
+                if (xDistance > 5) {
+                    text += ' ';
+                }
+            } else {
+                if (isListItemCharacter(textItem.text)) {
+                    textToAdd += ' ';
+                }
             }
         }
-        text += textItem.text;
+        text += textToAdd;
         lastItem = textItem;
     });
     return text;
diff --git a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectHeaders.jsx b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectHeaders.jsx
index 93d36ad..11a0631 100644
--- a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectHeaders.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectHeaders.jsx
@@ -3,9 +3,9 @@ import ParseResult from '../../ParseResult.jsx';
 import { DETECTED_ANNOTATION } from '../../Annotation.jsx';
 import ElementType from '../../ElementType.jsx';
 import { headlineByLevel } from '../../ElementType.jsx';
-import { isListItem } from '../../../functions.jsx';
+import { isListItem } from '../../../stringFunctions.jsx';
 
-//Detect items starting with -, •, etc...
+//Detect headlines based on heights
 export default class DetectHeaders extends ToLineItemTransformation {
 
     constructor() {
diff --git a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectListItems.jsx b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectListItems.jsx
index 8bdd197..8ff0856 100644
--- a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectListItems.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectListItems.jsx
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import ToLineItemTransformation from '../ToLineItemTransformation.jsx';
 import ParseResult from '../../ParseResult.jsx';
 import LineItem from '../../LineItem.jsx';
+import Word from '../../Word.jsx';
 import { REMOVED_ANNOTATION, ADDED_ANNOTATION, DETECTED_ANNOTATION } from '../../Annotation.jsx';
 import ElementType from '../../ElementType.jsx';
-import { isListItem, isNumberedListItem, removeLeadingWhitespaces } from '../../../functions.jsx';
+import { isListItemCharacter, isNumberedListItem } from '../../../stringFunctions.jsx';
 
 //Detect items starting with -, •, etc...
 export default class DetectListItems extends ToLineItemTransformation {
@@ -21,17 +22,20 @@ export default class DetectListItems extends ToLineItemTransformation {
                 newItems.push(item);
                 if (!item.type) {
                     var text = item.text();
-                    if (isListItem(text)) {
+                    if (isListItemCharacter(item.words[0].string)) {
                         foundListItems++
-                        const textWithDash = '-' + removeLeadingWhitespaces(text).substring(1, text.length);
-                        if (textWithDash === text) {
+                        if (item.words[0].string === '-') {
                             item.annotation = DETECTED_ANNOTATION;
                             item.type = ElementType.LIST;
                         } else {
                             item.annotation = REMOVED_ANNOTATION;
+                            const newWords = item.words.map(word => new Word({
+                                ...word
+                            }));
+                            newWords[0].string = '-';
                             newItems.push(new LineItem({
                                 ...item,
-                                text: textWithDash,
+                                words: newWords,
                                 annotation: ADDED_ANNOTATION,
                                 type: ElementType.LIST
                             }));
diff --git a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectTOC.jsx b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectTOC.jsx
index 93ca758..f81e5d8 100644
--- a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectTOC.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/DetectTOC.jsx
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import HeadlineFinder from '../../HeadlineFinder.jsx';
 import { REMOVED_ANNOTATION, ADDED_ANNOTATION } from '../../Annotation.jsx';
 import ElementType from '../../ElementType.jsx';
 import { headlineByLevel } from '../../ElementType.jsx';
-import { isDigit, isNumber, wordMatch, hasOnly } from '../../../functions.jsx'
+import { isDigit, isNumber, wordMatch, hasOnly } from '../../../stringFunctions.jsx'
 
 //Detect table of contents pages plus linked headlines
 export default class DetectTOC extends ToLineItemTransformation {
diff --git a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/RemoveRepetitiveElements.jsx b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/RemoveRepetitiveElements.jsx
index d84f82e..85c2b92 100644
--- a/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/RemoveRepetitiveElements.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/models/transformations/textitem/RemoveRepetitiveElements.jsx
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import ToLineItemTransformation from '../ToLineItemTransformation.jsx';
 import ParseResult from '../../ParseResult.jsx';
 import { REMOVED_ANNOTATION } from '../../Annotation.jsx';
 
-import { isDigit } from '../../../functions.jsx'
+import { isDigit } from '../../../stringFunctions.jsx'
 
 
 function hashCodeIgnoringSpacesAndNumbers(string) {
diff --git a/src/javascript/functions.jsx b/src/javascript/stringFunctions.jsx
similarity index 92%
rename from src/javascript/functions.jsx
rename to src/javascript/stringFunctions.jsx
index 1680a69..7833348 100644
--- a/src/javascript/functions.jsx
+++ b/src/javascript/stringFunctions.jsx
@@ -92,8 +92,17 @@ export function suffixBeforeWhitespace(string, suffix) {
     }
 }
 
+export function isListItemCharacter(string) {
+    if (string.length > 1) {
+        return false
+    }
+    const char = string.charAt(0);
+    return char === '-' || char === '•' || char === '–';
+}
+
+
 export function isListItem(string) {
-    return /^[\s]*[-•][\s].*$/g.test(string);
+    return /^[\s]*[-•–][\s].*$/g.test(string);
 }
 
 export function isNumberedListItem(string) {
diff --git a/test/functions.spec.js b/test/stringFunctions.spec.js
similarity index 97%
rename from test/functions.spec.js
rename to test/stringFunctions.spec.js
index 8aa553e..cb82fd5 100644
--- a/test/functions.spec.js
+++ b/test/stringFunctions.spec.js
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { expect } from 'chai';
 
-import { hasUpperCaseCharacterInMiddleOfWord, normalizedCharCodeArray, removeLeadingWhitespaces, removeTrailingWhitespaces, prefixAfterWhitespace, suffixBeforeWhitespace, charCodeArray, isListItem, isNumberedListItem, wordMatch } from '../src/javascript/functions.jsx'
+import { hasUpperCaseCharacterInMiddleOfWord, normalizedCharCodeArray, removeLeadingWhitespaces, removeTrailingWhitespaces, prefixAfterWhitespace, suffixBeforeWhitespace, charCodeArray, isListItem, isNumberedListItem, wordMatch } from '../src/javascript/stringFunctions.jsx'
 
 describe('functions: hasUpperCaseCharacterInMiddleOfWord', () => {
 
@@ -144,6 +144,9 @@ describe('functions: isListItem', () => {
         expect(isListItem('• my text')).to.equal(true);
         expect(isListItem(' • my text')).to.equal(true);
         expect(isListItem('  • my text')).to.equal(true);
+
+        expect(isListItem('– my text')).to.equal(true);
+        expect(isListItem(' – my text')).to.equal(true);
     });
 
     it('No Match', () => {