diff --git a/extensions/search-result/src/extension.ts b/extensions/search-result/src/extension.ts
index 6682c1473bf8c97788eace53fec3e6bd436017c2..e24e3f54f929b383ac1efa89bff378395d83343f 100644
--- a/extensions/search-result/src/extension.ts
+++ b/extensions/search-result/src/extension.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import * as pathUtils from 'path';
 
 const FILE_LINE_REGEX = /^(\S.*):$/;
 const RESULT_LINE_REGEX = /^(\s+)(\d+)(:| )(\s+)(.*)$/;
-const ELISION_REGEX = /\.{3}\(([0-9]+) characters skipped\)\.{3}/g;
+const ELISION_REGEX = /\.{3}\(\u200b([0-9]+) characters skipped\u200b\)\.{3}/g;
 const SEARCH_RESULT_SELECTOR = { language: 'search-result', exclusive: true };
 const DIRECTIVES = ['# Query:', '# Flags:', '# Including:', '# Excluding:', '# ContextLines:'];
 const FLAGS = ['RegExp', 'CaseSensitive', 'IgnoreExcludeSettings', 'WordMatch'];
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/common/search.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/common/search.ts
index 3636b6468b6d89d76ef80cd859e3e550168058ce..b0155dae3fc07fff56fbdd0fc280d5025cecc5b4 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/common/search.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/common/search.ts
@@ -26,8 +26,8 @@ export const SEARCH_EXCLUDE_CONFIG = 'search.exclude';
 
 // Warning: this pattern is used in the search editor to detect offsets. If you
 // change this, also change the search-result built-in extension
-const SEARCH_ELIDED_PREFIX = '...(';
-const SEARCH_ELIDED_SUFFIX = ' characters skipped)...';
+const SEARCH_ELIDED_PREFIX = '...(\u200b';
+const SEARCH_ELIDED_SUFFIX = ' characters skipped\u200b)...';
 const SEARCH_ELIDED_MIN_LEN = (SEARCH_ELIDED_PREFIX.length + SEARCH_ELIDED_SUFFIX.length + 5) * 2;
 
 export const ISearchService = createDecorator<ISearchService>('searchService');
diff --git a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/test/common/search.test.ts b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/test/common/search.test.ts
index 0f044eb2229f7f9d0d1a467742323661ed07ee9e..55310a25f7ecccb656360caa1d3b404de3ade696 100644
--- a/src/vs/workbench/services/search/test/common/search.test.ts
+++ b/src/vs/workbench/services/search/test/common/search.test.ts
@@ -105,8 +105,8 @@ suite('TextSearchResult', () => {
 		const range2 = new SearchRange(5, 133, 5, 136);
 		const range3 = new SearchRange(5, 141, 5, 144);
 		const result = new TextSearchMatch('foo bar 123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890 foo bar baz bar', [range1, range2, range3], previewOptions);
-		assert.deepEqual(result.preview.matches, [new SearchRange(0, 4, 0, 7), new SearchRange(0, 46, 0, 49), new SearchRange(0, 54, 0, 57)]);
-		assert.equal(result.preview.text, 'foo bar 123456...(117 characters skipped)...o bar baz bar');
+		assert.deepEqual(result.preview.matches, [new SearchRange(0, 4, 0, 7), new SearchRange(0, 48, 0, 51), new SearchRange(0, 56, 0, 59)]);
+		assert.equal(result.preview.text, 'foo bar 123456...(\u200b117 characters skipped\u200b)...o bar baz bar');
 	});
 
 	// test('all lines of multiline match', () => {