diff --git a/src/tsm/libtsm.h b/src/tsm/libtsm.h
index 23eb472..661ff64 100644
--- a/src/tsm/libtsm.h
+++ b/src/tsm/libtsm.h
@@ -260,6 +260,9 @@ void tsm_screen_selection_start(struct tsm_screen *con,
 void tsm_screen_selection_target(struct tsm_screen *con,
 				 unsigned int posx,
 				 unsigned int posy);
+void tsm_screen_selection_word(struct tsm_screen *con,
+			       unsigned int posx,
+			       unsigned int posy);
 int tsm_screen_selection_copy(struct tsm_screen *con, char **out);
 
 tsm_age_t tsm_screen_draw(struct tsm_screen *con, tsm_screen_draw_cb draw_cb,
diff --git a/src/tsm/libtsm.sym b/src/tsm/libtsm.sym
index 17b83c1..be7f246 100644
--- a/src/tsm/libtsm.sym
+++ b/src/tsm/libtsm.sym
@@ -132,3 +132,8 @@ global:
 	tsm_screen_sb_get_line_count;
 	tsm_screen_sb_get_line_pos;
 } LIBTSM_4;
+
+LIBTSM_4_3 {
+global:
+	tsm_screen_selection_word;
+} LIBTSM_4_1;
diff --git a/src/tsm/tsm-selection.c b/src/tsm/tsm-selection.c
index 57b07cd..26047c7 100644
--- a/src/tsm/tsm-selection.c
+++ b/src/tsm/tsm-selection.c
@@ -81,6 +81,44 @@ static void selection_set(struct tsm_screen *con, struct selection_pos *sel,
 	sel->y = y;
 }
 
+static void word_select(struct tsm_screen *con,
+			unsigned int posx,
+			unsigned int posy)
+{
+	int start, end;
+	struct line *line;
+
+	selection_set(con, &con->sel_start, posx, posy);
+
+	if (con->sel_start.line)
+		line = con->sel_start.line;
+	else
+	 	line = con->lines[con->sel_start.y];
+
+	if (!line || line->cells[posx].ch == ' ')
+		return;
+
+	for (start = posx; start >= 0; start--) {
+		if (line->cells[start].ch == ' ') {
+			start++;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+	if (start < 0)
+		start = 0;
+
+	for (end = posx; end < line->size; end++) {
+		if (line->cells[end].ch == ' ' || line->cells[end].ch == '\n' ||
+		    line->cells[end].ch == '\0') {
+			end--;
+			break;
+		}
+	}
+	con->sel_start.x = start;
+	selection_set(con, &con->sel_end, end, posy);
+	con->sel_active = true;
+}
+
 SHL_EXPORT
 void tsm_screen_selection_reset(struct tsm_screen *con)
 {
@@ -126,6 +164,21 @@ void tsm_screen_selection_target(struct tsm_screen *con,
 	selection_set(con, &con->sel_end, posx, posy);
 }
 
+SHL_EXPORT
+void tsm_screen_selection_word(struct tsm_screen *con,
+			       unsigned int posx,
+			       unsigned int posy)
+{
+	if (!con)
+		return;
+
+	screen_inc_age(con);
+	/* TODO: more sophisticated ageing */
+	con->age = con->age_cnt;
+
+	word_select(con, posx, posy);
+}
+
 /* calculates the line length from the beginning to the last non zero character */
 static unsigned int calc_line_len(struct line *line)
 {