diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 3d7cf382acae..d52519d25a44 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -5272,7 +5272,9 @@ dependencies = [
  "egui_extras",
  "egui_tiles",
  "parking_lot 0.12.1",
+ "re_entity_db",
  "re_log",
+ "re_log_types",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "strum",
diff --git a/crates/re_data_ui/src/item_ui.rs b/crates/re_data_ui/src/item_ui.rs
index cc8c25a63c91..f1c3582a0999 100644
--- a/crates/re_data_ui/src/item_ui.rs
+++ b/crates/re_data_ui/src/item_ui.rs
@@ -2,9 +2,9 @@
 //!
 //! TODO(andreas): This is not a `data_ui`, can this go somewhere else, shouldn't be in `re_data_ui`.
 
-use egui::Ui;
 use re_entity_db::{EntityTree, InstancePath};
 use re_log_types::{ComponentPath, EntityPath, TimeInt, Timeline};
+use re_ui::SyntaxHighlighting;
 use re_viewer_context::{
     DataQueryId, HoverHighlight, Item, Selection, SpaceViewId, UiVerbosity, ViewerContext,
 };
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ pub fn entity_path_button(
         ui,
         space_view_id,
         &InstancePath::entity_splat(entity_path.clone()),
-        entity_path.to_string(),
+        entity_path.syntax_highlighted(ui.style()),
     )
 }
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ pub fn instance_path_button(
         ui,
         space_view_id,
         instance_path,
-        instance_path.to_string(),
+        instance_path.syntax_highlighted(ui.style()),
     )
 }
 
@@ -351,14 +351,18 @@ pub fn select_hovered_on_click(
 /// Displays the "hover card" (i.e. big tooltip) for an instance or an entity.
 ///
 /// The entity hover card is displayed the provided instance path is a splat.
-pub fn instance_hover_card_ui(ui: &mut Ui, ctx: &ViewerContext<'_>, instance_path: &InstancePath) {
+pub fn instance_hover_card_ui(
+    ui: &mut egui::Ui,
+    ctx: &ViewerContext<'_>,
+    instance_path: &InstancePath,
+) {
     let subtype_string = if instance_path.instance_key.is_splat() {
         "Entity"
     } else {
         "Entity Instance"
     };
     ui.strong(subtype_string);
-    ui.label(format!("Path: {instance_path}"));
+    ui.label(instance_path.syntax_highlighted(ui.style()));
 
     // TODO(emilk): give data_ui an alternate "everything on this timeline" query?
     // Then we can move the size view into `data_ui`.
diff --git a/crates/re_ui/Cargo.toml b/crates/re_ui/Cargo.toml
index 31b89ffc24fd..5087c77ccbcc 100644
--- a/crates/re_ui/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/re_ui/Cargo.toml
@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ all-features = true
 default = []
 
 [dependencies]
+re_entity_db.workspace = true # syntax-highlighting for InstancePath. TODO(emilk): move InstancePath
+re_log_types.workspace = true # syntax-highlighting for EntityPath
+
 egui_commonmark.workspace = true
 egui_extras.workspace = true
 egui.workspace = true
diff --git a/crates/re_ui/src/lib.rs b/crates/re_ui/src/lib.rs
index f5be9530ccd8..79c13c0b1a3c 100644
--- a/crates/re_ui/src/lib.rs
+++ b/crates/re_ui/src/lib.rs
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ pub mod icons;
 mod layout_job_builder;
 pub mod list_item;
 pub mod modal;
+mod syntax_highlighting;
 pub mod toasts;
 mod toggle_switch;
 
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ pub use command_palette::CommandPalette;
 pub use design_tokens::DesignTokens;
 pub use icons::Icon;
 pub use layout_job_builder::LayoutJobBuilder;
+pub use syntax_highlighting::SyntaxHighlighting;
 pub use toggle_switch::toggle_switch;
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/crates/re_ui/src/syntax_highlighting.rs b/crates/re_ui/src/syntax_highlighting.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..673803578c12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/crates/re_ui/src/syntax_highlighting.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+use re_entity_db::InstancePath;
+use re_log_types::{EntityPath, EntityPathPart};
+
+use egui::{text::LayoutJob, Color32, Style, TextFormat};
+
+pub trait SyntaxHighlighting {
+    fn syntax_highlighted(&self, style: &Style) -> LayoutJob {
+        let mut job = LayoutJob::default();
+        self.syntax_highlight_into(style, &mut job);
+        job
+    }
+
+    fn syntax_highlight_into(&self, style: &Style, job: &mut LayoutJob);
+}
+
+fn text_format(style: &Style) -> TextFormat {
+    TextFormat {
+        font_id: egui::TextStyle::Body.resolve(style),
+
+        // This color be replaced with appropriate color based on widget,
+        // and whether the widget is hovered, etc
+        color: Color32::PLACEHOLDER,
+
+        ..Default::default()
+    }
+}
+
+fn faint_text_format(style: &Style) -> TextFormat {
+    TextFormat {
+        color: Color32::WHITE,
+
+        ..text_format(style)
+    }
+}
+
+impl SyntaxHighlighting for EntityPathPart {
+    fn syntax_highlight_into(&self, style: &Style, job: &mut LayoutJob) {
+        job.append(&self.ui_string(), 0.0, text_format(style));
+    }
+}
+
+impl SyntaxHighlighting for EntityPath {
+    fn syntax_highlight_into(&self, style: &Style, job: &mut LayoutJob) {
+        job.append("/", 0.0, faint_text_format(style));
+
+        for (i, part) in self.iter().enumerate() {
+            if i != 0 {
+                job.append("/", 0.0, faint_text_format(style));
+            }
+            part.syntax_highlight_into(style, job);
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl SyntaxHighlighting for InstancePath {
+    fn syntax_highlight_into(&self, style: &Style, job: &mut LayoutJob) {
+        self.entity_path.syntax_highlight_into(style, job);
+        if !self.instance_key.is_splat() {
+            job.append("[", 0.0, faint_text_format(style));
+            job.append(&self.instance_key.to_string(), 0.0, text_format(style));
+            job.append("]", 0.0, faint_text_format(style));
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/selection_panel.rs b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/selection_panel.rs
index 97153c922a7f..70fa2973553f 100644
--- a/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/selection_panel.rs
+++ b/crates/re_viewer/src/ui/selection_panel.rs
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ use re_types::{
 };
 use re_ui::list_item::ListItem;
 use re_ui::ReUi;
+use re_ui::SyntaxHighlighting as _;
 use re_viewer_context::{
     gpu_bridge::colormap_dropdown_button_ui, HoverHighlight, Item, SpaceViewClass,
     SpaceViewClassIdentifier, SpaceViewId, SystemCommand, SystemCommandSender as _, UiVerbosity,
@@ -353,12 +354,14 @@ fn what_is_selected_ui(
                 "Entity instance"
             };
 
+            let name = instance_path.syntax_highlighted(ui.style());
+
             if let Some(space_view_id) = space_view_id {
                 if let Some(space_view) = viewport.space_view(space_view_id) {
                     item_title_ui(
                         ctx.re_ui,
                         ui,
-                        instance_path.to_string().as_str(),
+                        name,
                         None,
                         &format!(
                             "{typ} '{instance_path}' as shown in Space View {:?}",
@@ -375,7 +378,7 @@ fn what_is_selected_ui(
                 item_title_ui(
                     ctx.re_ui,
                     ui,
-                    instance_path.to_string().as_str(),
+                    name,
                     None,
                     &format!("{typ} '{instance_path}'"),
                 );
@@ -409,7 +412,7 @@ fn what_is_selected_ui(
 fn item_title_ui(
     re_ui: &re_ui::ReUi,
     ui: &mut egui::Ui,
-    name: &str,
+    name: impl Into<egui::WidgetText>,
     icon: Option<&re_ui::Icon>,
     hover: &str,
 ) -> egui::Response {