diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index cd5c317..98ec854 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,5 +1,20 @@
 # [<img src="https://splitting.js.org/splitting.gif" alt="Splitting.js" style="max-width: 100%; height:auto" />](https://splitting.js.org)
 
+### Options
+
+- `rtl` (boolean, default: `false`)  
+  When `true`, **each word** is left intact in a *single* `.char` span—rather than splitting into letters—so that Persian/Arabic ligatures remain connected.
+
+#### Usage
+
+```js
+Splitting({
+  target: ".my-text",
+  by: "words chars",
+  whitespace: false,
+  rtl: true    // ← enable full-word spans for RTL scripts
+});
+
 ### _CSS Vars for split words, chars & more!_
 
 ![The current build status based on whether tests are passing](https://api.travis-ci.org/shshaw/Splitting.svg?branch=1.0.0)
diff --git a/dist/splitting-lite.js b/dist/splitting-lite.js
index a03b469..83b4b28 100644
--- a/dist/splitting-lite.js
+++ b/dist/splitting-lite.js
@@ -1,383 +1,405 @@
 (function (global, factory) {
-	typeof exports === 'object' && typeof module !== 'undefined' ? module.exports = factory() :
-	typeof define === 'function' && define.amd ? define(factory) :
-	(global.Splitting = factory());
-}(this, (function () { 'use strict';
-
-var root = document;
-var createText = root.createTextNode.bind(root);
-
-/**
- * # setProperty
- * Apply a CSS var
- * @param {HTMLElement} el
- * @param {string} varName 
- * @param {string|number} value 
- */
-function setProperty(el, varName, value) {
-    el.style.setProperty(varName, value);
-} 
-
-/**
- * 
- * @param {!HTMLElement} el 
- * @param {!HTMLElement} child 
- */
-function appendChild(el, child) {
-  return el.appendChild(child);
-}
-
-/**
- * 
- * @param {!HTMLElement} parent 
- * @param {string} key 
- * @param {string} text 
- * @param {boolean} whitespace 
- */
-function createElement(parent, key, text, whitespace) {
-  var el = root.createElement('span');
-  key && (el.className = key); 
-  if (text) { 
-      !whitespace && el.setAttribute("data-" + key, text);
-      el.textContent = text; 
-  }
-  return (parent && appendChild(parent, el)) || el;
-}
-
-/**
- * 
- * @param {!HTMLElement} el 
- * @param {string} key 
- */
-function getData(el, key) {
-  return el.getAttribute("data-" + key)
-}
-
-/**
- * 
- * @param {import('../types').Target} e 
- * @param {!HTMLElement} parent
- * @returns {!Array<!HTMLElement>}
- */
-function $(e, parent) {
-    return !e || e.length == 0
-        ? // null or empty string returns empty array
-          []
-        : e.nodeName
-            ? // a single element is wrapped in an array
-              [e]
-            : // selector and NodeList are converted to Element[]
-              [].slice.call(e[0].nodeName ? e : (parent || root).querySelectorAll(e));
-}
-
-/**
- * Creates and fills an array with the value provided
- * @param {number} len
- * @param {() => T} valueProvider
- * @return {T}
- * @template T
- */
-
-
-/**
- * A for loop wrapper used to reduce js minified size.
- * @param {!Array<T>} items 
- * @param {function(T):void} consumer
- * @template T
- */
-function each(items, consumer) {
-    items && items.some(consumer);
-}
-
-/**
- * @param {T} obj 
- * @return {function(string):*}
- * @template T
- */
-function selectFrom(obj) {
-    return function (key) {
-        return obj[key];
+    typeof exports === 'object' && typeof module !== 'undefined' ? module.exports = factory() :
+        typeof define === 'function' && define.amd ? define(factory) :
+            (global.Splitting = factory());
+}(this, (function () {
+    'use strict';
+
+    var root = document;
+    var createText = root.createTextNode.bind(root);
+
+    /**
+     * # setProperty
+     * Apply a CSS var
+     * @param {HTMLElement} el
+     * @param {string} varName 
+     * @param {string|number} value 
+     */
+    function setProperty(el, varName, value) {
+        el.style.setProperty(varName, value);
     }
-}
-
-/**
- * # Splitting.index
- * Index split elements and add them to a Splitting instance.
- *
- * @param {HTMLElement} element
- * @param {string} key 
- * @param {!Array<!HTMLElement> | !Array<!Array<!HTMLElement>>} items 
- */
-function index(element, key, items) {
-    var prefix = '--' + key;
-    var cssVar = prefix + "-index";
-
-    each(items, function (items, i) {
-        if (Array.isArray(items)) {
-            each(items, function(item) {
-                setProperty(item, cssVar, i);
+
+    /**
+     * 
+     * @param {!HTMLElement} el 
+     * @param {!HTMLElement} child 
+     */
+    function appendChild(el, child) {
+        return el.appendChild(child);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * 
+     * @param {!HTMLElement} parent 
+     * @param {string} key 
+     * @param {string} text 
+     * @param {boolean} whitespace 
+     */
+    function createElement(parent, key, text, whitespace) {
+        var el = root.createElement('span');
+        key && (el.className = key);
+        if (text) {
+            !whitespace && el.setAttribute("data-" + key, text);
+            el.textContent = text;
+        }
+        return (parent && appendChild(parent, el)) || el;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * 
+     * @param {!HTMLElement} el 
+     * @param {string} key 
+     */
+    function getData(el, key) {
+        return el.getAttribute("data-" + key)
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * 
+     * @param {import('../types').Target} e 
+     * @param {!HTMLElement} parent
+     * @returns {!Array<!HTMLElement>}
+     */
+    function $(e, parent) {
+        return !e || e.length == 0
+            ? // null or empty string returns empty array
+            []
+            : e.nodeName
+                ? // a single element is wrapped in an array
+                [e]
+                : // selector and NodeList are converted to Element[]
+                [].slice.call(e[0].nodeName ? e : (parent || root).querySelectorAll(e));
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Creates and fills an array with the value provided
+     * @param {number} len
+     * @param {() => T} valueProvider
+     * @return {T}
+     * @template T
+     */
+
+
+    /**
+     * A for loop wrapper used to reduce js minified size.
+     * @param {!Array<T>} items 
+     * @param {function(T):void} consumer
+     * @template T
+     */
+    function each(items, consumer) {
+        items && items.some(consumer);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @param {T} obj 
+     * @return {function(string):*}
+     * @template T
+     */
+    function selectFrom(obj) {
+        return function (key) {
+            return obj[key];
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * # Splitting.index
+     * Index split elements and add them to a Splitting instance.
+     *
+     * @param {HTMLElement} element
+     * @param {string} key 
+     * @param {!Array<!HTMLElement> | !Array<!Array<!HTMLElement>>} items 
+     */
+    function index(element, key, items) {
+        var prefix = '--' + key;
+        var cssVar = prefix + "-index";
+
+        each(items, function (items, i) {
+            if (Array.isArray(items)) {
+                each(items, function (item) {
+                    setProperty(item, cssVar, i);
+                });
+            } else {
+                setProperty(items, cssVar, i);
+            }
+        });
+
+        setProperty(element, prefix + "-total", items.length);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * @type {Record<string, import('./types').ISplittingPlugin>}
+     */
+    var plugins = {};
+
+    /**
+     * @param {string} by
+     * @param {string} parent
+     * @param {!Array<string>} deps
+     * @return {!Array<string>}
+     */
+    function resolvePlugins(by, parent, deps) {
+        // skip if already visited this dependency
+        var index = deps.indexOf(by);
+        if (index == -1) {
+            // if new to dependency array, add to the beginning
+            deps.unshift(by);
+
+            // recursively call this function for all dependencies
+            var plugin = plugins[by];
+            if (!plugin) {
+                throw new Error("plugin not loaded: " + by);
+            }
+            each(plugin.depends, function (p) {
+                resolvePlugins(p, by, deps);
             });
         } else {
-            setProperty(items, cssVar, i);
+            // if this dependency was added already move to the left of
+            // the parent dependency so it gets loaded in order
+            var indexOfParent = deps.indexOf(parent);
+            deps.splice(index, 1);
+            deps.splice(indexOfParent, 0, by);
         }
-    });
-
-    setProperty(element, prefix + "-total", items.length);
-}
-
-/**
- * @type {Record<string, import('./types').ISplittingPlugin>}
- */
-var plugins = {};
-
-/**
- * @param {string} by
- * @param {string} parent
- * @param {!Array<string>} deps
- * @return {!Array<string>}
- */
-function resolvePlugins(by, parent, deps) {
-    // skip if already visited this dependency
-    var index = deps.indexOf(by);
-    if (index == -1) {
-        // if new to dependency array, add to the beginning
-        deps.unshift(by);
-
-        // recursively call this function for all dependencies
-        var plugin = plugins[by];
-        if (!plugin) {
-            throw new Error("plugin not loaded: " + by);
+        return deps;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Internal utility for creating plugins... essentially to reduce
+     * the size of the library
+     * @param {string} by 
+     * @param {string} key 
+     * @param {string[]} depends 
+     * @param {Function} split 
+     * @returns {import('./types').ISplittingPlugin}
+     */
+    function createPlugin(by, depends, key, split) {
+        return {
+            by: by,
+            depends: depends,
+            key: key,
+            split: split
         }
-        each(plugin.depends, function(p) {
-            resolvePlugins(p, by, deps);
-        });
-    } else {
-        // if this dependency was added already move to the left of
-        // the parent dependency so it gets loaded in order
-        var indexOfParent = deps.indexOf(parent);
-        deps.splice(index, 1);
-        deps.splice(indexOfParent, 0, by);
     }
-    return deps;
-}
-
-/**
- * Internal utility for creating plugins... essentially to reduce
- * the size of the library
- * @param {string} by 
- * @param {string} key 
- * @param {string[]} depends 
- * @param {Function} split 
- * @returns {import('./types').ISplittingPlugin}
- */
-function createPlugin(by, depends, key, split) {
-    return {
-        by: by,
-        depends: depends,
-        key: key,
-        split: split
+
+    /**
+     *
+     * @param {string} by
+     * @returns {import('./types').ISplittingPlugin[]}
+     */
+    function resolve(by) {
+        return resolvePlugins(by, 0, []).map(selectFrom(plugins));
     }
-}
-
-/**
- *
- * @param {string} by
- * @returns {import('./types').ISplittingPlugin[]}
- */
-function resolve(by) {
-    return resolvePlugins(by, 0, []).map(selectFrom(plugins));
-}
-
-/**
- * Adds a new plugin to splitting
- * @param {import('./types').ISplittingPlugin} opts
- */
-function add(opts) {
-    plugins[opts.by] = opts;
-}
-
-/**
- * # Splitting.split
- * Split an element's textContent into individual elements
- * @param {!HTMLElement} el  Element to split
- * @param {string} key 
- * @param {string} splitOn 
- * @param {boolean} includePrevious 
- * @param {boolean} preserveWhitespace
- * @return {!Array<!HTMLElement>}
- */
-function splitText(el, key, splitOn, includePrevious, preserveWhitespace) {
-    // Combine any strange text nodes or empty whitespace.
-    el.normalize();
-
-    // Use fragment to prevent unnecessary DOM thrashing.
-    var elements = [];
-    var F = document.createDocumentFragment();
-
-    if (includePrevious) {
-        elements.push(el.previousSibling);
+
+    /**
+     * Adds a new plugin to splitting
+     * @param {import('./types').ISplittingPlugin} opts
+     */
+    function add(opts) {
+        plugins[opts.by] = opts;
     }
 
-    var allElements = [];
-    $(el.childNodes).some(function(next) {
-        if (next.tagName && !next.hasChildNodes()) {
-            // keep elements without child nodes (no text and no children)
-            allElements.push(next);
-            return;
-        }
-        // Recursively run through child nodes
-        if (next.childNodes && next.childNodes.length) {
-            allElements.push(next);
-            elements.push.apply(elements, splitText(next, key, splitOn, includePrevious, preserveWhitespace));
-            return;
+    /**
+     * # Splitting.split
+     * Split an element's textContent into individual elements
+     * @param {!HTMLElement} el  Element to split
+     * @param {string} key 
+     * @param {string} splitOn 
+     * @param {boolean} includePrevious 
+     * @param {boolean} preserveWhitespace
+     * @return {!Array<!HTMLElement>}
+     */
+    function splitText(el, key, splitOn, includePrevious, preserveWhitespace) {
+        // Combine any strange text nodes or empty whitespace.
+        el.normalize();
+
+        // Use fragment to prevent unnecessary DOM thrashing.
+        var elements = [];
+        var F = document.createDocumentFragment();
+
+        if (includePrevious) {
+            elements.push(el.previousSibling);
         }
 
-        // Get the text to split, trimming out the whitespace
-        /** @type {string} */
-        var wholeText = next.wholeText || '';
-        var contents = wholeText.trim();
-
-        // If there's no text left after trimming whitespace, continue the loop
-        if (contents.length) {
-            // insert leading space if there was one
-            if (wholeText[0] === ' ') {
-                allElements.push(createText(' '));
+        var allElements = [];
+        $(el.childNodes).some(function (next) {
+            if (next.tagName && !next.hasChildNodes()) {
+                // keep elements without child nodes (no text and no children)
+                allElements.push(next);
+                return;
+            }
+            // Recursively run through child nodes
+            if (next.childNodes && next.childNodes.length) {
+                allElements.push(next);
+                elements.push.apply(elements, splitText(next, key, splitOn, includePrevious, preserveWhitespace));
+                return;
             }
-            // Concatenate the split text children back into the full array
-            var useSegmenter = splitOn === "" && typeof Intl.Segmenter === "function";
-            each(useSegmenter ? Array.from(new Intl.Segmenter().segment(contents)).map(function(x){return x.segment}) : contents.split(splitOn), function (splitText, i) {
-                if (i && preserveWhitespace) {
-                    allElements.push(createElement(F, "whitespace", " ", preserveWhitespace));
+
+            // Get the text to split, trimming out the whitespace
+            /** @type {string} */
+            var wholeText = next.wholeText || '';
+            var contents = wholeText.trim();
+
+            // If there's no text left after trimming whitespace, continue the loop
+            if (contents.length) {
+                // insert leading space if there was one
+                if (wholeText[0] === ' ') {
+                    allElements.push(createText(' '));
+                }
+                // Concatenate the split text children back into the full array
+                var useSegmenter = splitOn === "" && typeof Intl.Segmenter === "function";
+                each(useSegmenter ? Array.from(new Intl.Segmenter().segment(contents)).map(function (x) { return x.segment }) : contents.split(splitOn), function (splitText, i) {
+                    if (i && preserveWhitespace) {
+                        allElements.push(createElement(F, "whitespace", " ", preserveWhitespace));
+                    }
+                    var splitEl = createElement(F, key, splitText);
+                    elements.push(splitEl);
+                    allElements.push(splitEl);
+                });
+                // insert trailing space if there was one
+                if (wholeText[wholeText.length - 1] === ' ') {
+                    allElements.push(createText(' '));
                 }
-                var splitEl = createElement(F, key, splitText);
-                elements.push(splitEl);
-                allElements.push(splitEl);
-            }); 
-            // insert trailing space if there was one
-            if (wholeText[wholeText.length - 1] === ' ') {
-                allElements.push(createText(' '));
             }
-        }
-    });
+        });
 
-    each(allElements, function(el) {
-        appendChild(F, el);
-    });
+        each(allElements, function (el) {
+            appendChild(F, el);
+        });
 
-    // Clear out the existing element
-    el.innerHTML = "";
-    appendChild(el, F);
-    return elements;
-}
+        // Clear out the existing element
+        el.innerHTML = "";
+        appendChild(el, F);
+        return elements;
+    }
 
-/** an empty value */
-var _ = 0;
+    /** an empty value */
+    var _ = 0;
 
-function copy(dest, src) {
-    for (var k in src) {
-        dest[k] = src[k];
+    function copy(dest, src) {
+        for (var k in src) {
+            dest[k] = src[k];
+        }
+        return dest;
     }
-    return dest;
-}
 
-var WORDS = 'words';
+    var WORDS = 'words';
 
-var wordPlugin = createPlugin(
+    var wordPlugin = createPlugin(
     /* by= */ WORDS,
     /* depends= */ _,
-    /* key= */ 'word', 
-    /* split= */ function(el) {
-        return splitText(el, 'word', /\s+/, 0, 1)
-    }
-);
-
-var CHARS = "chars";
+    /* key= */ 'word',
+    /* split= */ function (el) {
+            return splitText(el, 'word', /\s+/, 0, 1)
+        }
+    );
+
+    var CHARS = "chars";
+
+    var charPlugin = createPlugin(
+    /* by=      */ CHARS,
+    /* depends= */[WORDS],
+    /* key=     */ "char",
+    /* split=   */ function (el, options, ctx) {
+            // RTL support: if the rtl flag is true, wrap each word in a single .char span
+            if (options.rtl) {
+                return ctx[WORDS].map(function (wordEl, idx) {
+                    // get the full word text
+                    var full = wordEl.getAttribute("data-word") || wordEl.textContent;
+                    // clear existing chars
+                    wordEl.innerHTML = "";
+                    // create one <span class="char"> with the entire word
+                    var ch = document.createElement("span");
+                    ch.className = "char";
+                    ch.setAttribute("data-char", full);
+                    ch.style.setProperty("--char-index", idx);
+                    ch.textContent = full;
+                    wordEl.appendChild(ch);
+                    return ch;
+                });
+            }
 
-var charPlugin = createPlugin(
-    /* by= */ CHARS,
-    /* depends= */ [WORDS],
-    /* key= */ "char", 
-    /* split= */ function(el, options, ctx) {
-        var results = [];
+            // Default behavior: split each word into individual characters
+            var results = [];
+            each(ctx[WORDS], function (word, i) {
+                results.push.apply(
+                    results,
+                    splitText(word, "char", "", options.whitespace && i)
+                );
+            });
+            return results;
+        }
+    );
+
+
+    /**
+     * # Splitting
+     * 
+     * @param {import('./types').ISplittingOptions} opts
+     * @return {!Array<*>}
+     */
+    function Splitting(opts) {
+        opts = opts || {};
+        var key = opts.key;
+
+        return $(opts.target || '[data-splitting]').map(function (el) {
+            var ctx = el['🍌'];
+            if (!opts.force && ctx) {
+                return ctx;
+            }
 
-        each(ctx[WORDS], function(word, i) {
-            results.push.apply(results, splitText(word, "char", "", options.whitespace && i));
-        });
+            ctx = el['🍌'] = { el: el };
+            var by = opts.by || getData(el, 'splitting');
+            if (!by || by == 'true') {
+                by = CHARS;
+            }
+            var items = resolve(by);
+            var opts2 = copy({}, opts);
+            each(items, function (plugin) {
+                if (plugin.split) {
+                    var pluginBy = plugin.by;
+                    var key2 = (key ? '-' + key : '') + plugin.key;
+                    var results = plugin.split(el, opts2, ctx);
+                    key2 && index(el, key2, results);
+                    ctx[pluginBy] = results;
+                    el.classList.add(pluginBy);
+                }
+            });
 
-        return results;
-    }
-);
-
-/**
- * # Splitting
- * 
- * @param {import('./types').ISplittingOptions} opts
- * @return {!Array<*>}
- */
-function Splitting (opts) {
-  opts = opts || {};
-  var key = opts.key;
-
-  return $(opts.target || '[data-splitting]').map(function(el) {
-    var ctx = el['🍌'];  
-    if (!opts.force && ctx) {
-      return ctx;
+            el.classList.add('splitting');
+            return ctx;
+        })
     }
 
-    ctx = el['🍌'] = { el: el };
-    var by = opts.by || getData(el, 'splitting');
-    if (!by || by == 'true') {
-      by = CHARS;
+    /**
+     * # Splitting.html
+     * 
+     * @param {import('./types').ISplittingOptions} opts
+     */
+    function html(opts) {
+        opts = opts || {};
+        var parent = opts.target = createElement();
+        parent.innerHTML = opts.content;
+        Splitting(opts);
+        return parent.outerHTML
     }
-    var items = resolve(by);
-    var opts2 = copy({}, opts);
-    each(items, function(plugin) {
-      if (plugin.split) {
-        var pluginBy = plugin.by;
-        var key2 = (key ? '-' + key : '') + plugin.key;
-        var results = plugin.split(el, opts2, ctx);
-        key2 && index(el, key2, results);
-        ctx[pluginBy] = results;
-        el.classList.add(pluginBy);
-      } 
-    });
-
-    el.classList.add('splitting');
-    return ctx;
-  })
-}
-
-/**
- * # Splitting.html
- * 
- * @param {import('./types').ISplittingOptions} opts
- */
-function html(opts) {
-  opts = opts || {};
-  var parent = opts.target =  createElement();
-  parent.innerHTML = opts.content;
-  Splitting(opts);
-  return parent.outerHTML
-}
-
-Splitting.html = html;
-Splitting.add = add;
-
-// import { linePlugin } from "./plugins/lines";
-// import { itemPlugin } from "./plugins/items";
-// import { rowPlugin } from "./plugins/rows";
-// import { columnPlugin } from "./plugins/columns";
-// import { gridPlugin } from "./plugins/grid";
-// import { layoutPlugin } from "./plugins/layout";
-// import { cellRowPlugin } from "./plugins/cellRows";
-// import { cellColumnPlugin } from "./plugins/cellColumns";
-// import { cellPlugin } from "./plugins/cells";
-
-// install plugins
-// word/char plugins
-add(wordPlugin);
-add(charPlugin);
-
-return Splitting;
+
+    Splitting.html = html;
+    Splitting.add = add;
+
+    // import { linePlugin } from "./plugins/lines";
+    // import { itemPlugin } from "./plugins/items";
+    // import { rowPlugin } from "./plugins/rows";
+    // import { columnPlugin } from "./plugins/columns";
+    // import { gridPlugin } from "./plugins/grid";
+    // import { layoutPlugin } from "./plugins/layout";
+    // import { cellRowPlugin } from "./plugins/cellRows";
+    // import { cellColumnPlugin } from "./plugins/cellColumns";
+    // import { cellPlugin } from "./plugins/cells";
+
+    // install plugins
+    // word/char plugins
+    add(wordPlugin);
+    add(charPlugin);
+
+    return Splitting;
 
 })));
diff --git a/dist/splitting-lite.min.js b/dist/splitting-lite.min.js
index 1b55664..fc9c926 100644
--- a/dist/splitting-lite.min.js
+++ b/dist/splitting-lite.min.js
@@ -1,23 +1 @@
-!function(t,n){"object"==typeof exports&&"undefined"!=typeof module?module.exports=n():"function"==typeof define&&define.amd?define(n):t.Splitting=n()}(this,function(){"use strict"
-var u=document,c=u.createTextNode.bind(u)
-function f(t,n,e){t.style.setProperty(n,e)}function l(t,n){return t.appendChild(n)}function d(t,n,e,r){var i=u.createElement("span")
-return n&&(i.className=n),e&&(r||i.setAttribute("data-"+n,e),i.textContent=e),t&&l(t,i)||i}function n(t,n){return t&&0!=t.length?t.nodeName?[t]:[].slice.call(t[0].nodeName?t:(n||u).querySelectorAll(t)):[]}function p(t,n){t&&t.some(n)}var o={}
-function t(t,n,e,r){return{by:t,depends:n,key:e,split:r}}function r(t){return function n(e,t,r){var i=r.indexOf(e)
-if(-1==i){r.unshift(e)
-var u=o[e]
-if(!u)throw new Error("plugin not loaded: "+e)
-p(u.depends,function(t){n(t,e,r)})}else u=r.indexOf(t),r.splice(i,1),r.splice(u,0,e)
-return r}(t,0,[]).map((n=o,function(t){return n[t]}))
-var n}function e(t){o[t.by]=t}function h(t,e,r,i,u){t.normalize()
-var o=[],a=document.createDocumentFragment(),s=(i&&o.push(t.previousSibling),[])
-return n(t.childNodes).some(function(t){var n
-t.tagName&&!t.hasChildNodes()?s.push(t):t.childNodes&&t.childNodes.length?(s.push(t),o.push.apply(o,h(t,e,r,i,u))):(n=(t=t.wholeText||"").trim()).length&&(" "===t[0]&&s.push(c(" ")),p(""===r&&"function"==typeof Intl.Segmenter?Array.from((new Intl.Segmenter).segment(n)).map(function(t){return t.segment}):n.split(r),function(t,n){n&&u&&s.push(d(a,"whitespace"," ",u))
-n=d(a,e,t)
-o.push(n),s.push(n)})," "===t[t.length-1])&&s.push(c(" "))}),p(s,function(t){l(a,t)}),t.innerHTML="",l(t,a),o}var i="words",a=t(i,0,"word",function(t){return h(t,"word",/\s+/,0,1)}),m="chars",s=t(m,[i],"char",function(t,e,n){var r=[]
-return p(n[i],function(t,n){r.push.apply(r,h(t,"char","",e.whitespace&&n))}),r})
-function g(e){var c=(e=e||{}).key
-return n(e.target||"[data-splitting]").map(function(o){var t,n,a,s=o["🍌"]
-return!e.force&&s||(s=o["🍌"]={el:o},n=r(t=(t=e.by||(t="splitting",o.getAttribute("data-"+t)))&&"true"!=t?t:m),a=function(t,n){for(var e in n)t[e]=n[e]
-return t}({},e),p(n,function(t){var n,e,r,i,u
-t.split&&(n=t.by,r=(c?"-"+c:"")+t.key,t=t.split(o,a,s),r&&(e=o,u=(r="--"+(r=r))+"-index",p(i=t,function(t,n){Array.isArray(t)?p(t,function(t){f(t,u,n)}):f(t,u,n)}),f(e,r+"-total",i.length)),s[n]=t,o.classList.add(n))}),o.classList.add("splitting")),s})}return g.html=function(t){var n=(t=t||{}).target=d()
-return n.innerHTML=t.content,g(t),n.outerHTML},(g.add=e)(a),e(s),g})
+!function(t,e){"object"==typeof exports&&"undefined"!=typeof module?module.exports=e():"function"==typeof define&&define.amd?define(e):t.Splitting=e()}(this,(function(){"use strict";var t=document,e=t.createTextNode.bind(t);function n(t,e,n){t.style.setProperty(e,n)}function r(t,e){return t.appendChild(e)}function i(e,n,i,u){var o=t.createElement("span");return n&&(o.className=n),i&&(u||o.setAttribute("data-"+n,i),o.textContent=i),e&&r(e,o)||o}function u(e,n){return e&&0!=e.length?e.nodeName?[e]:[].slice.call(e[0].nodeName?e:(n||t).querySelectorAll(e)):[]}function o(t,e){t&&t.some(e)}var a={};function c(t,e,n,r){return{by:t,depends:e,key:n,split:r}}function s(t){return function t(e,n,r){var i=r.indexOf(e);if(-1==i){r.unshift(e);var u=a[e];if(!u)throw new Error("plugin not loaded: "+e);o(u.depends,(function(n){t(n,e,r)}))}else u=r.indexOf(n),r.splice(i,1),r.splice(u,0,e);return r}(t,0,[]).map((e=a,function(t){return e[t]}));var e}function d(t){a[t.by]=t}function l(t,n,a,c,s){t.normalize();var d=[],f=document.createDocumentFragment(),p=(c&&d.push(t.previousSibling),[]);return u(t.childNodes).some((function(t){var r;t.tagName&&!t.hasChildNodes()?p.push(t):t.childNodes&&t.childNodes.length?(p.push(t),d.push.apply(d,l(t,n,a,c,s))):(r=(t=t.wholeText||"").trim()).length&&(" "===t[0]&&p.push(e(" ")),o(""===a&&"function"==typeof Intl.Segmenter?Array.from((new Intl.Segmenter).segment(r)).map((function(t){return t.segment})):r.split(a),(function(t,e){e&&s&&p.push(i(f,"whitespace"," ",s)),e=i(f,n,t),d.push(e),p.push(e)}))," "===t[t.length-1])&&p.push(e(" "))})),o(p,(function(t){r(f,t)})),t.innerHTML="",r(t,f),d}var f="words",p=c(f,0,"word",(function(t){return l(t,"word",/\s+/,0,1)})),h="chars",m=c(h,[f],"char",(function(t,e,n){if(e.rtl)return n[f].map((function(t,e){var n=t.getAttribute("data-word")||t.textContent;t.innerHTML="";var r=document.createElement("span");return r.className="char",r.setAttribute("data-char",n),r.style.setProperty("--char-index",e),r.textContent=n,t.appendChild(r),r}));var r=[];return o(n[f],(function(t,n){r.push.apply(r,l(t,"char","",e.whitespace&&n))})),r}));function g(t){var e=(t=t||{}).key;return u(t.target||"[data-splitting]").map((function(r){var i,u,a,c=r["🍌"];return!t.force&&c||(c=r["🍌"]={el:r},u=s(i=(i=t.by||(i="splitting",r.getAttribute("data-"+i)))&&"true"!=i?i:h),a=function(t,e){for(var n in e)t[n]=e[n];return t}({},t),o(u,(function(t){var i,u,s,d,l;t.split&&(i=t.by,s=(e?"-"+e:"")+t.key,t=t.split(r,a,c),s&&(u=r,l=(s="--"+s)+"-index",o(d=t,(function(t,e){Array.isArray(t)?o(t,(function(t){n(t,l,e)})):n(t,l,e)})),n(u,s+"-total",d.length)),c[i]=t,r.classList.add(i))})),r.classList.add("splitting")),c}))}return g.html=function(t){var e=(t=t||{}).target=i();return e.innerHTML=t.content,g(t),e.outerHTML},(g.add=d)(p),d(m),g}));
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/dist/splitting.js b/dist/splitting.js
index 9ebc6a5..12fb373 100644
--- a/dist/splitting.js
+++ b/dist/splitting.js
@@ -300,20 +300,44 @@ var wordPlugin = createPlugin(
 var CHARS = "chars";
 
 var charPlugin = createPlugin(
-    /* by= */ CHARS,
+    /* by=      */ CHARS,
     /* depends= */ [WORDS],
-    /* key= */ "char", 
-    /* split= */ function(el, options, ctx) {
-        var results = [];
-
-        each(ctx[WORDS], function(word, i) {
-            results.push.apply(results, splitText(word, "char", "", options.whitespace && i));
+    /* key=     */ "char",
+    /* split=   */ function(el, options, ctx) {
+      // If RTL support is enabled, keep each word intact
+      if (options.rtl) {
+        return ctx[WORDS].map(function(wordEl, idx) {
+          // Get the full word text (from data-word or element content)
+          var full = wordEl.getAttribute("data-word") || wordEl.textContent;
+          // Clear any existing children (individual char spans)
+          wordEl.innerHTML = "";
+          // Create a new <span class="char"> that holds the entire word
+          var ch = document.createElement("span");
+          ch.className = "char";
+          ch.setAttribute("data-char", full);
+          // Set the char-index custom property for ordering/animation
+          ch.style.setProperty("--char-index", idx);
+          // Put the full word inside the span
+          ch.textContent = full;
+          // Append this new span back into the word element
+          wordEl.appendChild(ch);
+          return ch;
         });
-
-        return results;
+      }
+  
+      // Default behavior: split into individual characters
+      var results = [];
+      each(ctx[WORDS], function(word, i) {
+        // splitText() will wrap each letter in its own span.char
+        results.push.apply(
+          results,
+          splitText(word, "char", "", options.whitespace && i)
+        );
+      });
+      return results;
     }
-);
-
+  );
+  
 /**
  * # Splitting
  * 
diff --git a/dist/splitting.min.js b/dist/splitting.min.js
index 8216171..7e107b4 100644
--- a/dist/splitting.min.js
+++ b/dist/splitting.min.js
@@ -1,30 +1 @@
-!function(n,t){"object"==typeof exports&&"undefined"!=typeof module?module.exports=t():"function"==typeof define&&define.amd?define(t):n.Splitting=t()}(this,function(){"use strict"
-var u=document,a=u.createTextNode.bind(u)
-function l(n,t,e){n.style.setProperty(t,e)}function f(n,t){return n.appendChild(t)}function d(n,t,e,r){var o=u.createElement("span")
-return t&&(o.className=t),e&&(r||o.setAttribute("data-"+t,e),o.textContent=e),n&&f(n,o)||o}function p(n,t){return n.getAttribute("data-"+t)}function m(n,t){return n&&0!=n.length?n.nodeName?[n]:[].slice.call(n[0].nodeName?n:(t||u).querySelectorAll(n)):[]}function i(n){for(var t=[];n--;)t[n]=[]
-return t}function h(n,t){n&&n.some(t)}function o(t){return function(n){return t[n]}}var c={}
-function n(n,t,e,r){return{by:n,depends:t,key:e,split:r}}function e(n){return function t(e,n,r){var o=r.indexOf(e)
-if(-1==o){r.unshift(e)
-var u=c[e]
-if(!u)throw new Error("plugin not loaded: "+e)
-h(u.depends,function(n){t(n,e,r)})}else u=r.indexOf(n),r.splice(o,1),r.splice(u,0,e)
-return r}(n,0,[]).map(o(c))}function t(n){c[n.by]=n}function g(n,e,r,o,u){n.normalize()
-var i=[],c=document.createDocumentFragment(),s=(o&&i.push(n.previousSibling),[])
-return m(n.childNodes).some(function(n){var t
-n.tagName&&!n.hasChildNodes()?s.push(n):n.childNodes&&n.childNodes.length?(s.push(n),i.push.apply(i,g(n,e,r,o,u))):(t=(n=n.wholeText||"").trim()).length&&(" "===n[0]&&s.push(a(" ")),h(""===r&&"function"==typeof Intl.Segmenter?Array.from((new Intl.Segmenter).segment(t)).map(function(n){return n.segment}):t.split(r),function(n,t){t&&u&&s.push(d(c,"whitespace"," ",u))
-t=d(c,e,n)
-i.push(t),s.push(t)})," "===n[n.length-1])&&s.push(a(" "))}),h(s,function(n){f(c,n)}),n.innerHTML="",f(n,c),i}var v=0
-var s="words",r=n(s,v,"word",function(n){return g(n,"word",/\s+/,0,1)}),y="chars",w=n(y,[s],"char",function(n,e,t){var r=[]
-return h(t[s],function(n,t){r.push.apply(r,g(n,"char","",e.whitespace&&t))}),r})
-function b(t){var a=(t=t||{}).key
-return m(t.target||"[data-splitting]").map(function(i){var n,c,s=i["🍌"]
-return!t.force&&s||(s=i["🍌"]={el:i},n=e(n=(n=t.by||p(i,"splitting"))&&"true"!=n?n:y),c=function(n,t){for(var e in t)n[e]=t[e]
-return n}({},t),h(n,function(n){var t,e,r,o,u
-n.split&&(t=n.by,r=(a?"-"+a:"")+n.key,n=n.split(i,c,s),r&&(e=i,u=(r="--"+(r=r))+"-index",h(o=n,function(n,t){Array.isArray(n)?h(n,function(n){l(n,u,t)}):l(n,u,t)}),l(e,r+"-total",o.length)),s[t]=n,i.classList.add(t))}),i.classList.add("splitting")),s})}function N(n,t,e){var t=m(t.matching||n.children,n),r={}
-return h(t,function(n){var t=Math.round(n[e]);(r[t]||(r[t]=[])).push(n)}),Object.keys(r).map(Number).sort(x).map(o(r))}function x(n,t){return n-t}b.html=function(n){var t=(n=n||{}).target=d()
-return t.innerHTML=n.content,b(n),t.outerHTML}
-var S=n("lines",[s],"line",function(n,t,e){return N(n,{matching:e[s]},"offsetTop")}),T=n("items",v,"item",function(n,t){return m(t.matching||n.children,n)}),A=n("rows",v,"row",function(n,t){return N(n,t,"offsetTop")}),L=n("cols",v,"col",function(n,t){return N(n,t,"offsetLeft")}),k=n("grid",["rows","cols"]),C="layout",M=n(C,v,v,function(n,t){for(var e,r=t.rows=+(t.rows||p(n,"rows")||1),o=t.columns=+(t.columns||p(n,"columns")||1),u=(t.image=t.image||p(n,"image")||n.currentSrc||n.src,t.image&&(e=m("img",n)[0],t.image=e&&(e.currentSrc||e.src)),t.image&&l(n,"background-image","url("+t.image+")"),r*o),i=[],c=d(v,"cell-grid");u--;){var s=d(c,"cell")
-d(s,"cell-inner"),i.push(s)}return f(n,c),i}),H=n("cellRows",[C],"row",function(n,t,e){var r=t.rows,o=i(r)
-return h(e[C],function(n,t,e){o[Math.floor(t/(e.length/r))].push(n)}),o}),O=n("cellColumns",[C],"col",function(n,t,e){var r=t.columns,o=i(r)
-return h(e[C],function(n,t){o[t%r].push(n)}),o}),j=n("cells",["cellRows","cellColumns"],"cell",function(n,t,e){return e[C]})
-return(b.add=t)(r),t(w),t(S),t(T),t(A),t(L),t(k),t(M),t(H),t(O),t(j),b})
+!function(n,t){"object"==typeof exports&&"undefined"!=typeof module?module.exports=t():"function"==typeof define&&define.amd?define(t):n.Splitting=t()}(this,(function(){"use strict";var n=document,t=n.createTextNode.bind(n);function e(n,t,e){n.style.setProperty(t,e)}function r(n,t){return n.appendChild(t)}function o(t,e,o,i){var u=n.createElement("span");return e&&(u.className=e),o&&(i||u.setAttribute("data-"+e,o),u.textContent=o),t&&r(t,u)||u}function i(n,t){return n.getAttribute("data-"+t)}function u(t,e){return t&&0!=t.length?t.nodeName?[t]:[].slice.call(t[0].nodeName?t:(e||n).querySelectorAll(t)):[]}function c(n){for(var t=[];n--;)t[n]=[];return t}function a(n,t){n&&n.some(t)}function s(n){return function(t){return n[t]}}var l={};function f(n,t,e,r){return{by:n,depends:t,key:e,split:r}}function d(n){return function n(t,e,r){var o=r.indexOf(t);if(-1==o){r.unshift(t);var i=l[t];if(!i)throw new Error("plugin not loaded: "+t);a(i.depends,(function(e){n(e,t,r)}))}else i=r.indexOf(e),r.splice(o,1),r.splice(i,0,t);return r}(n,0,[]).map(s(l))}function p(n){l[n.by]=n}function m(n,e,i,c,s){n.normalize();var l=[],f=document.createDocumentFragment(),d=(c&&l.push(n.previousSibling),[]);return u(n.childNodes).some((function(n){var r;n.tagName&&!n.hasChildNodes()?d.push(n):n.childNodes&&n.childNodes.length?(d.push(n),l.push.apply(l,m(n,e,i,c,s))):(r=(n=n.wholeText||"").trim()).length&&(" "===n[0]&&d.push(t(" ")),a(""===i&&"function"==typeof Intl.Segmenter?Array.from((new Intl.Segmenter).segment(r)).map((function(n){return n.segment})):r.split(i),(function(n,t){t&&s&&d.push(o(f,"whitespace"," ",s)),t=o(f,e,n),l.push(t),d.push(t)}))," "===n[n.length-1])&&d.push(t(" "))})),a(d,(function(n){r(f,n)})),n.innerHTML="",r(n,f),l}var h="words",g=f(h,0,"word",(function(n){return m(n,"word",/\s+/,0,1)})),v="chars",y=f(v,[h],"char",(function(n,t,e){if(t.rtl)return e[h].map((function(n,t){var e=n.getAttribute("data-word")||n.textContent;n.innerHTML="";var r=document.createElement("span");return r.className="char",r.setAttribute("data-char",e),r.style.setProperty("--char-index",t),r.textContent=e,n.appendChild(r),r}));var r=[];return a(e[h],(function(n,e){r.push.apply(r,m(n,"char","",t.whitespace&&e))})),r}));function w(n){var t=(n=n||{}).key;return u(n.target||"[data-splitting]").map((function(r){var o,u,c=r["🍌"];return!n.force&&c||(c=r["🍌"]={el:r},o=d(o=(o=n.by||i(r,"splitting"))&&"true"!=o?o:v),u=function(n,t){for(var e in t)n[e]=t[e];return n}({},n),a(o,(function(n){var o,i,s,l,f;n.split&&(o=n.by,s=(t?"-"+t:"")+n.key,n=n.split(r,u,c),s&&(i=r,f=(s="--"+s)+"-index",a(l=n,(function(n,t){Array.isArray(n)?a(n,(function(n){e(n,f,t)})):e(n,f,t)})),e(i,s+"-total",l.length)),c[o]=n,r.classList.add(o))})),r.classList.add("splitting")),c}))}function b(n,t,e){t=u(t.matching||n.children,n);var r={};return a(t,(function(n){var t=Math.round(n[e]);(r[t]||(r[t]=[])).push(n)})),Object.keys(r).map(Number).sort(x).map(s(r))}function x(n,t){return n-t}w.html=function(n){var t=(n=n||{}).target=o();return t.innerHTML=n.content,w(n),t.outerHTML};var N=f("lines",[h],"line",(function(n,t,e){return b(n,{matching:e[h]},"offsetTop")})),A=f("items",0,"item",(function(n,t){return u(t.matching||n.children,n)})),C=f("rows",0,"row",(function(n,t){return b(n,t,"offsetTop")})),T=f("cols",0,"col",(function(n,t){return b(n,t,"offsetLeft")})),L=f("grid",["rows","cols"]),S="layout",M=f(S,0,0,(function(n,t){for(var c,a=t.rows=+(t.rows||i(n,"rows")||1),s=t.columns=+(t.columns||i(n,"columns")||1),l=(t.image=t.image||i(n,"image")||n.currentSrc||n.src,t.image&&(c=u("img",n)[0],t.image=c&&(c.currentSrc||c.src)),t.image&&e(n,"background-image","url("+t.image+")"),a*s),f=[],d=o(0,"cell-grid");l--;){var p=o(d,"cell");o(p,"cell-inner"),f.push(p)}return r(n,d),f})),k=f("cellRows",[S],"row",(function(n,t,e){var r=t.rows,o=c(r);return a(e[S],(function(n,t,e){o[Math.floor(t/(e.length/r))].push(n)})),o})),H=f("cellColumns",[S],"col",(function(n,t,e){var r=t.columns,o=c(r);return a(e[S],(function(n,t){o[t%r].push(n)})),o})),E=f("cells",["cellRows","cellColumns"],"cell",(function(n,t,e){return e[S]}));return(w.add=p)(g),p(y),p(N),p(A),p(C),p(T),p(L),p(M),p(k),p(H),p(E),w}));
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/rtl-example.html b/tests/rtl-example.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c6126c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/rtl-example.html
@@ -0,0 +1,144 @@
+<!DOCTYPE html>
+<html dir="rtl" lang="fa">
+
+<head>
+    <meta charset="UTF-8">
+    <title>Word-by-Word Animation – Splitting.js Demo</title>
+    <link href="../dist/splitting.css" rel="stylesheet">
+    <style>
+        @import url('https://fonts.googleapis.com/css2?family=Vazirmatn:wght@400;700&display=swap');
+
+        body {
+            font-family: 'Vazirmatn', sans-serif;
+            background: #1a1a1a;
+            color: #fff;
+            margin: 0;
+            min-height: 100vh;
+            display: flex;
+            flex-direction: column;
+            align-items: center;
+            padding: 2em;
+        }
+
+        .animation-container {
+            width: 100%;
+            max-width: 800px;
+            margin-top: 30px;
+        }
+
+        .text-block {
+            font-size: 1.8rem;
+            line-height: 1.6;
+            margin-bottom: 2em;
+        }
+
+        /* Word styling & initial hidden state */
+        .word {
+            display: inline-block;
+            opacity: 0;
+            transform: translateY(-20px);
+            transition: all 0.6s cubic-bezier(0.23, 1, 0.32, 1);
+        }
+
+        /* Play button */
+        #playButton {
+            background: #00ff88;
+            color: #1a1a1a;
+            border: none;
+            padding: 12px 30px;
+            font-size: 1.2rem;
+            border-radius: 30px;
+            cursor: pointer;
+            transition: transform 0.3s ease;
+        }
+
+        #playButton:hover {
+            transform: scale(1.05);
+        }
+
+        /* Attribution */
+        .github-link {
+            color: #666;
+            text-decoration: none;
+            margin-top: 40px;
+            transition: color 0.3s ease;
+        }
+
+        .github-link:hover {
+            color: #00ff88;
+        }
+    </style>
+</head>
+
+<body>
+
+    <!-- Play button -->
+    <button id="playButton">Play Animation</button>
+
+    <div class="animation-container">
+        <!-- Persian text -->
+        <div class="text-block persian-text" id="persianText">
+            این نمایشی از انیمیشن کلمه به کلمه برای متن فارسی است که با استفاده از کتابخانه اسپلیتینگ جی‌اس ایجاد شده
+            است.
+        </div>
+        <!-- English text -->
+        <div class="text-block english-text" id="englishText" dir="ltr">
+            This is a demonstration of word-by-word animation for English text using the Splitting.js library.
+        </div>
+    </div>
+
+    <!-- Attribution -->
+    <a href="https://github.com/FarhamAghdasi" target="_blank" class="github-link">
+        Developed by Farham Aghdasi
+    </a>
+
+    <script src="../dist/splitting.js"></script>
+    <script>
+        document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', () => {
+            // Split Persian into words (RTL support)
+            Splitting({
+                target: '#persianText',
+                by: 'words',
+                whitespace: false,
+                rtl: true
+            });
+            // Split English into words (LTR default)
+            Splitting({
+                target: '#englishText',
+                by: 'words',
+                whitespace: false
+            });
+        });
+
+        function animateText() {
+            // Reset and animate Persian words
+            const persianWords = document.querySelectorAll('#persianText .word');
+            persianWords.forEach((w, i) => {
+                w.style.opacity = '0';
+                w.style.transform = 'translateY(-20px)';
+                setTimeout(() => {
+                    w.style.opacity = '1';
+                    w.style.transform = 'translateY(0)';
+                }, i * 150);
+            });
+            // Reset and animate English words
+            const englishWords = document.querySelectorAll('#englishText .word');
+            englishWords.forEach((w, i) => {
+                w.style.opacity = '0';
+                w.style.transform = 'translateY(-20px)';
+                setTimeout(() => {
+                    w.style.opacity = '1';
+                    w.style.transform = 'translateY(0)';
+                }, i * 150);
+            });
+        }
+
+        // Hook up play button
+        document.getElementById('playButton').addEventListener('click', animateText);
+
+        // Auto-play once on load
+        setTimeout(animateText, 800);
+    </script>
+</body>
+
+</html>
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