diff --git a/src/ExportProcessors.mss b/src/ExportProcessors.mss
index f4d70d0..04339ef 100644
--- a/src/ExportProcessors.mss
+++ b/src/ExportProcessors.mss
@@ -292,12 +292,10 @@ function ProcessLyric (lyricobj, objectPositions) {
             }
         }
 
-        syltext = libmei.GetText(sylel);
-
-        if (utils.Pos('_', syltext) > -1)
+        if (utils.Pos('_', syl.Text) > -1)
         {
             // Syllable elision. split this syllable element by underscore.
-            syllables = MSplitString(syltext, '_');
+            syllables = MSplitString(syl.Text, '_');
             sylarray = CreateSparseArray();
 
             // reset the text of the first syllable element to the first half of the syllable.
diff --git a/test/mocha/test-arpeggios.js b/test/mocha/test-arpeggios.js
index c7dc3dd..dc49177 100644
--- a/test/mocha/test-arpeggios.js
+++ b/test/mocha/test-arpeggios.js
@@ -8,21 +8,24 @@ describe("Arpeggios", () => {
   const mei = utils.getTestMeiDom('arpeggios.mei');
 
   it("writes 3 arpeggios in each of the 3 measures", () => {
-    assert.strictEqual(9, xpath.evaluateXPath('//*:arpeg', mei).length);
+    assert.strictEqual(xpath.evaluateXPath('//*:arpeg', mei).length, 9);
   });
   it("writes arpeggios with up arrow on beat 2 of each measure", () => {
-    assert.strictEqual(3, xpath.evaluateXPath(
+    const upArpeggiosOnBeat2 = xpath.evaluateXPath(
       '//*:arpeg[@arrow="true"][@tstamp="2"][@order="up"]', mei
-    ).length);
+    );
+    assert.strictEqual(upArpeggiosOnBeat2.length, 3);
   });
   it("writes arpeggios with down arrow on beat 3 of each measure", () => {
-    assert.strictEqual(3, xpath.evaluateXPath(
+    const downArpeggiosOnBeat3 = xpath.evaluateXPath(
       '//*:arpeg[@arrow="true"][@tstamp="3"][@order="down"]', mei
-    ).length);
+    );
+    assert.strictEqual(downArpeggiosOnBeat3.length, 3);
   });
   it("writes arrowless arpeggios on beat 4 of each measures", () => {
-    assert.strictEqual(3, xpath.evaluateXPath(
+    const arrowlessArpeggionsOnBeat4 = xpath.evaluateXPath(
       '//*:arpeg[@arrow="false"][@tstamp="4"][not(@order)]', mei
-    ).length);
+    )
+    assert.strictEqual(arrowlessArpeggionsOnBeat4.length, 3);
   });
 });
diff --git a/test/mocha/test-lyrics.js b/test/mocha/test-lyrics.js
index 02cec6f..c4040eb 100644
--- a/test/mocha/test-lyrics.js
+++ b/test/mocha/test-lyrics.js
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ const utils = require('./utils');
 function assertAttrOnElements(elements, indices, attName, attValue) {
   for (const i of indices) {
     assert.strictEqual(
-      attValue, elements[i].getAttribute(attName),
+      elements[i].getAttribute(attName), attValue,
       'failed on element index ' + i + ' ("' + elements[i].innerHTML + '")'
     );
   }
@@ -18,15 +18,18 @@ describe("Lyrics", () => {
   const syls = xpath.evaluateXPath('//*:syl', mei);
 
   describe("writes an elision", () => {
-    const elisionSyls = xpath.evaluateXPathToNodes('(//*:note)[1]//*:syl', mei);
+    const note1 = xpath.evaluateXPathToNodes('(//*:note)[1]', mei)[0];
+    const note1Syls = xpath.evaluateXPathToNodes('.//*:syl', note1);
     it("exports 2 syllables for elisions", () =>
-      assert.strictEqual(2, elisionSyls.length)
+      assert.strictEqual(note1Syls.length, 2)
     );
     it("sets @con='b' on first syl, but not any others", () => {
-      assert.strictEqual('b', elisionSyls[0].getAttribute('con'));
-      assert.strictEqual(1, xpath.evaluateXPathToNodes(
-        '//*:syl[@con="b"]', mei
-      ).length);
+      assert.strictEqual(note1Syls[0].getAttribute('con'), 'b');
+      const sylsWithCon = xpath.evaluateXPathToNodes('.//*:syl[@con="b"]', note1);
+      assert.strictEqual(sylsWithCon.length, 1);
+    });
+    it("creates correct character entities on elisions", function() {
+      assert.strictEqual(syls[13].firstChild._data, "n'u");
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/test/sibmeiTestSibs/lyrics.sib b/test/sibmeiTestSibs/lyrics.sib
index d810989..4229cad 100644
Binary files a/test/sibmeiTestSibs/lyrics.sib and b/test/sibmeiTestSibs/lyrics.sib differ