diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts
index edb0514d0c6de63940a868940783288d10d64fba..83482c51c63432e4da6cf8e11253e1e0f98ebb91 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/config/commonEditorConfig.ts
@@ -636,6 +636,11 @@ const editorConfiguration: IConfigurationNode = {
 			default: true,
 			description: nls.localize('suggest.filterGraceful', "Controls whether filtering and sorting suggestions accounts for small typos.")
 		},
+		'editor.suggest.localityBonus': {
+			type: 'boolean',
+			default: false,
+			description: nls.localize('suggest.localityBonus', "Controls whether sorting favours words that appear close to the cursor.")
+		},
 		'editor.suggest.snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions': {
 			type: 'boolean',
 			default: true,
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts b/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts
index 610d6e0bdf4fe55263eeba1603f6b2da696f5a8f..dd5100ba8793530aceb43711de4c63c2d9c11ba7 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/common/config/editorOptions.ts
@@ -193,6 +193,10 @@ export interface ISuggestOptions {
 	 * Prevent quick suggestions when a snippet is active. Defaults to true.
 	 */
 	snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions?: boolean;
+	/**
+	 * Favours words that appear close to the cursor.
+	 */
+	localityBonus?: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -893,6 +897,7 @@ export interface InternalSuggestOptions {
 	readonly filterGraceful: boolean;
 	readonly snippets: 'top' | 'bottom' | 'inline' | 'none';
 	readonly snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: boolean;
+	readonly localityBonus: boolean;
 }
 
 export interface InternalParameterHintOptions {
@@ -1336,7 +1341,8 @@ export class InternalEditorOptions {
 		} else {
 			return a.filterGraceful === b.filterGraceful
 				&& a.snippets === b.snippets
-				&& a.snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions === b.snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions;
+				&& a.snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions === b.snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions
+				&& a.localityBonus === b.localityBonus;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -1866,6 +1872,7 @@ export class EditorOptionsValidator {
 			filterGraceful: _boolean(suggestOpts.filterGraceful, defaults.filterGraceful),
 			snippets: _stringSet<'top' | 'bottom' | 'inline' | 'none'>(opts.snippetSuggestions, defaults.snippets, ['top', 'bottom', 'inline', 'none']),
 			snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: _boolean(suggestOpts.snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions, defaults.filterGraceful),
+			localityBonus: _boolean(suggestOpts.localityBonus, defaults.localityBonus),
 		};
 	}
 
@@ -2610,7 +2617,8 @@ export const EDITOR_DEFAULTS: IValidatedEditorOptions = {
 		suggest: {
 			filterGraceful: true,
 			snippets: 'inline',
-			snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true
+			snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true,
+			localityBonus: false
 		},
 		selectionHighlight: true,
 		occurrencesHighlight: true,
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/test/completionModel.test.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/test/completionModel.test.ts
index 2cb0ce9cc75f77b1f9c025e6c1175c1bd42c53f0..f7ccbd51b1abc8ca5ba57fba574a94718455734b 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/test/completionModel.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/test/completionModel.test.ts
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ suite('CompletionModel', function () {
 		], 1, {
 				leadingLineContent: 's',
 				characterCountDelta: 0
-			}, WordDistance.None, { snippets: 'top', snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true, filterGraceful: true });
+			}, WordDistance.None, { snippets: 'top', snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true, filterGraceful: true, localityBonus: false });
 
 		assert.equal(model.items.length, 2);
 		const [a, b] = model.items;
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ suite('CompletionModel', function () {
 		], 1, {
 				leadingLineContent: 's',
 				characterCountDelta: 0
-			}, WordDistance.None, { snippets: 'bottom', snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true, filterGraceful: true });
+			}, WordDistance.None, { snippets: 'bottom', snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true, filterGraceful: true, localityBonus: false });
 
 		assert.equal(model.items.length, 2);
 		const [a, b] = model.items;
@@ -205,7 +205,7 @@ suite('CompletionModel', function () {
 		], 1, {
 				leadingLineContent: 's',
 				characterCountDelta: 0
-			}, WordDistance.None, { snippets: 'inline', snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true, filterGraceful: true });
+			}, WordDistance.None, { snippets: 'inline', snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: true, filterGraceful: true, localityBonus: false });
 
 		assert.equal(model.items.length, 2);
 		const [a, b] = model.items;
diff --git a/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/wordDistance.ts b/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/wordDistance.ts
index 514fde28db31dc2fa4a999d661193faa5fcc81dd..3d0f430c14dff6d3c20131efec4e1cf057d83ba3 100644
--- a/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/wordDistance.ts
+++ b/src/vs/editor/contrib/suggest/wordDistance.ts
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ export abstract class WordDistance {
 
 	static create(service: IEditorWorkerService, editor: ICodeEditor): Thenable<WordDistance> {
 
+		if (!editor.getConfiguration().contribInfo.suggest.localityBonus) {
+			return Promise.resolve(WordDistance.None);
+		}
+
 		const model = editor.getModel();
 		const position = editor.getPosition();
 		const range = new Range(Math.max(1, position.lineNumber - 100), 1, Math.min(model.getLineCount() - 1, position.lineNumber + 100), 1);
diff --git a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
index d0451a54ca8533572d608cf5eab47945fb547107..d2f85c3b0e4d201d939d67fdfc04e2eafedf6091 100644
--- a/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
+++ b/src/vs/monaco.d.ts
@@ -2540,6 +2540,10 @@ declare namespace monaco.editor {
 		 * Prevent quick suggestions when a snippet is active. Defaults to true.
 		 */
 		snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions?: boolean;
+		/**
+		 * Favours words that appear close to the cursor.
+		 */
+		localityBonus?: boolean;
 	}
 
 	/**
@@ -3169,6 +3173,7 @@ declare namespace monaco.editor {
 		readonly filterGraceful: boolean;
 		readonly snippets: 'top' | 'bottom' | 'inline' | 'none';
 		readonly snippetsPreventQuickSuggestions: boolean;
+		readonly localityBonus: boolean;
 	}
 
 	export interface InternalParameterHintOptions {