diff --git a/src/element/live-chat.tsx b/src/element/live-chat.tsx
index 2aa6691..ece4367 100644
--- a/src/element/live-chat.tsx
+++ b/src/element/live-chat.tsx
@@ -186,20 +186,26 @@ function WriteMessage({ link }: { link: NostrLink }) {
   async function sendChatMessage() {
     const pub = await EventPublisher.nip7();
     if (chat.length > 1) {
-      let messageEmojis: string[][] = [];
+      let emojiNames = new Set();
+
       for (const name of names) {
         if (chat.includes(`:${name}:`)) {
-          const e = emojis.find((t) => t.at(1) === name);
-          messageEmojis.push(e as string[]);
+          emojiNames.add(name);
         }
       }
+
       const reply = await pub?.generic((eb) => {
+        const emoji = [...emojiNames].map((name) =>
+          emojis.find((e) => e.at(1) === name)
+        );
         eb.kind(1311 as EventKind)
           .content(chat)
           .tag(["a", `${link.kind}:${link.author}:${link.id}`, "", "root"])
           .processContent();
-        for (const e of messageEmojis) {
-          eb.tag(e);
+        for (const e of emoji) {
+          if (e) {
+            eb.tag(e);
+          }
         }
         return eb;
       });
diff --git a/src/element/text.tsx b/src/element/text.tsx
index 6f6f25e..e722d55 100644
--- a/src/element/text.tsx
+++ b/src/element/text.tsx
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ function extractEmoji(fragments: Fragment[], tags: string[][]) {
   return fragments
     .map((f) => {
       if (typeof f === "string") {
-        return f.split(/:([a-zA-Z_-]):/g).map((i) => {
+        return f.split(/:([\w-]+):/g).map((i) => {
           const t = tags.find((a) => a[0] === "emoji" && a[1] === i);
           if (t) {
             return <Emoji name={t[1]} url={t[2]} />;