diff --git a/packages/tools/video-grabber/tests/test_transcript_summarize.py b/packages/tools/video-grabber/tests/test_transcript_summarize.py
index 766d4ff0..d69f140e 100644
--- a/packages/tools/video-grabber/tests/test_transcript_summarize.py
+++ b/packages/tools/video-grabber/tests/test_transcript_summarize.py
@@ -236,3 +236,16 @@ def test_mixed_tv_and_radio_keys_sort_without_raising():
     ])
     keys = sorted(buckets, key=lambda k: tuple("" if p is None else str(p) for p in k))
     assert len(keys) == 2
+
+
+def test_a_bare_apostrophe_is_not_treated_as_an_invented_word():
+    # Found verifying 1,500 production rows: one summary was flagged as
+    # containing a word absent from its source, and the "word" was a lone
+    # apostrophe. It strips to empty, so it could never match anything.
+    src = "the smoke is still billowing out behind you as the events unfolded"
+    assert validate_abstract("the smoke ' is still billowing out behind you", src) is None
+
+
+def test_contractions_and_possessives_still_tokenize():
+    got = content_words("the city's tower isn't standing")
+    assert _stem("city") in got and _stem("tower") in got
diff --git a/packages/tools/video-grabber/video_grabber/transcript/summarize.py b/packages/tools/video-grabber/video_grabber/transcript/summarize.py
index 287f341e..13767f8e 100644
--- a/packages/tools/video-grabber/video_grabber/transcript/summarize.py
+++ b/packages/tools/video-grabber/video_grabber/transcript/summarize.py
@@ -67,7 +67,12 @@
 haven't hasn't couldn't shouldn't wouldn't i'm we're they're it's that's there's
 """.split())
 
-_WORD = re.compile(r"[a-z0-9']+")
+# Must START with an alphanumeric. "[a-z0-9']+" also matched a BARE apostrophe as
+# a token; it strips to the empty string, can never match anything in the source,
+# and so was reported as an invented word. That produced a spurious containment
+# failure on real data -- harmless for tier 1, but in tier 2 every false rejection
+# costs a real summary and falls back.
+_WORD = re.compile(r"[a-z0-9]+(?:'[a-z0-9]+)*")
 
 
 @dataclass(frozen=True)
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 83745e6c..9f5d0b47 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -3075,8 +3075,8 @@ packages:
       react: '>= 16.8.0 || ^18.0.0'
       react-dom: '>= 16.8.0 || ^18.0.0'
 
-  react-hook-form@7.83.0:
-    resolution: {integrity: sha512-AXt8cMCmx5a7u4uvpb2uRFVrWQhllI4pV+LSykxIac/hjt44TnQkmX9BKuQi2i+LDC62esmiLpilkav+kjVf/A==}
+  react-hook-form@7.84.0:
+    resolution: {integrity: sha512-+hWvQP6GLco56mDwrbU4XnHix8t1z90ltZsDIrREl+jnQFQxYLX8oAzqe/Xn8nHpmoXTY5M6oEXrAhbP1qevNQ==}
     engines: {node: '>=18.0.0'}
     peerDependencies:
       react: ^16.8.0 || ^17 || ^18 || ^19
@@ -4760,7 +4760,7 @@ snapshots:
       micromark-util-symbol: 2.0.1
       react: 19.2.7
       react-dom: 19.2.7(react@19.2.7)
-      react-hook-form: 7.83.0(react@19.2.7)
+      react-hook-form: 7.84.0(react@19.2.7)
       unidiff: 1.0.4
     transitivePeerDependencies:
       - '@codemirror/language'
@@ -7472,7 +7472,7 @@ snapshots:
       react: 19.2.7
       react-dom: 19.2.7(react@19.2.7)
 
-  react-hook-form@7.83.0(react@19.2.7):
+  react-hook-form@7.84.0(react@19.2.7):
     dependencies:
       react: 19.2.7