diff --git a/dist/diffhtml.js b/dist/diffhtml.js
index d18735d2..7259ca8c 100644
--- a/dist/diffhtml.js
+++ b/dist/diffhtml.js
@@ -1329,7 +1329,7 @@ function process(element, patches) {
     if (descriptor.nodeName === '#text' || descriptor.nodeName === 'text') {
       var textPromises = transition.makePromises('textChanged', [element], null, descriptor.nodeValue);
 
-      element.nodeValue = descriptor.nodeValue;
+      element.innerHTML = descriptor.nodeValue;
 
       triggerTransition('textChanged', textPromises, function (promises) {});
     }
@@ -1948,6 +1948,7 @@ var pools = _pools2.pools; // Code based off of:
 // https://github.com/ashi009/node-fast-html-parser
 
 var parser = makeParser();
+var slice = Array.prototype.slice;
 
 /**
  * parseHTML
@@ -1974,15 +1975,6 @@ function makeParser() {
 
   var reAttrPattern = /\b([a-z][a-z0-9\-]*)\s*(=\s*("([^"]+)"|'([^']+)'|(\S+)))?/ig;
 
-  var kBlockElements = {
-    div: true,
-    p: true,
-    li: true,
-    td: true,
-    section: true,
-    br: true
-  };
-
   var kSelfClosingElements = {
     meta: true,
     img: true,
@@ -2049,6 +2041,15 @@ function makeParser() {
     template: true
   };
 
+  var escapeMap = {
+    '&': '&',
+    '<': '&lt;',
+    '>': '&gt;',
+    '"': '&quot;',
+    "'": '&#x27;',
+    '`': '&#x60;'
+  };
+
   /**
    * TextNode to contain a text element in DOM tree.
    * @param {string} value [description]
@@ -2179,6 +2180,10 @@ function makeParser() {
             var newText = data.slice(match.index + match[0].length, index);
 
             if (newText.trim()) {
+              newText = slice.call(newText).map(function (ch) {
+                return escapeMap[ch] || ch;
+              }).join('');
+
               currentParent.childNodes.push(TextNode(newText));
             }
           }
diff --git a/lib/patches/process.js b/lib/patches/process.js
index 08e9ecbc..7cfdcce2 100644
--- a/lib/patches/process.js
+++ b/lib/patches/process.js
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export default function process(element, patches) {
       let textPromises = transition.makePromises('textChanged',
         [element], null, descriptor.nodeValue);
 
-      element.nodeValue = descriptor.nodeValue;
+      element.innerHTML = descriptor.nodeValue;
 
       triggerTransition('textChanged', textPromises, promises => {});
     }
diff --git a/lib/util/parser.js b/lib/util/parser.js
index e146924e..acd44ad8 100644
--- a/lib/util/parser.js
+++ b/lib/util/parser.js
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import { pools as _pools } from './pools';
 
 var pools = _pools;
 var parser = makeParser();
+var slice = Array.prototype.slice;
 
 /**
  * parseHTML
@@ -13,8 +14,8 @@ var parser = makeParser();
  * @return
  */
 export function parseHTML(newHTML, isInner) {
-  let documentElement = parser.parse(newHTML);
-  let nodes = documentElement.childNodes;
+  var documentElement = parser.parse(newHTML);
+  var nodes = documentElement.childNodes;
 
   return isInner ? nodes : nodes[0];
 }
@@ -25,24 +26,15 @@ export function parseHTML(newHTML, isInner) {
  * @return
  */
 export function makeParser() {
-  let kMarkupPattern =
+  var kMarkupPattern =
     /<!--[^]*?(?=-->)-->|<(\/?)([a-z\-][a-z0-9\-]*)\s*([^>]*?)(\/?)>/ig;
 
-  let kAttributePattern = /\b(id|class)\s*(=\s*("([^"]+)"|'([^']+)'|(\S+)))?/ig;
+  var kAttributePattern = /\b(id|class)\s*(=\s*("([^"]+)"|'([^']+)'|(\S+)))?/ig;
 
-  let reAttrPattern =
+  var reAttrPattern =
     /\b([a-z][a-z0-9\-]*)\s*(=\s*("([^"]+)"|'([^']+)'|(\S+)))?/ig;
 
-  let kBlockElements = {
-    div: true,
-    p: true,
-    li: true,
-    td: true,
-    section: true,
-    br: true
-  };
-
-  let kSelfClosingElements = {
+  var kSelfClosingElements = {
     meta: true,
     img: true,
     link: true,
@@ -52,7 +44,7 @@ export function makeParser() {
     hr: true
   };
 
-  let kElementsClosedByOpening = {
+  var kElementsClosedByOpening = {
     li: {
       li: true
     },
@@ -70,7 +62,7 @@ export function makeParser() {
     }
   };
 
-  let kElementsClosedByClosing = {
+  var kElementsClosedByClosing = {
     li: {
       ul: true, ol: true
     },
@@ -108,12 +100,21 @@ export function makeParser() {
     template: true
   };
 
+  var escapeMap = {
+    '&': '&amp;',
+    '<': '&lt;',
+    '>': '&gt;',
+    '"': '&quot;',
+    "'": '&#x27;',
+    '`': '&#x60;'
+  };
+
   /**
    * TextNode to contain a text element in DOM tree.
    * @param {string} value [description]
    */
   function TextNode(value) {
-    let instance = pools.elementObject.get();
+    var instance = pools.elementObject.get();
 
     instance.nodeName = '#text';
     instance.nodeValue = value;
@@ -135,7 +136,7 @@ export function makeParser() {
    * @param {Object} rawAttrs attributes in string
    */
   function HTMLElement(name, keyAttrs, rawAttrs) {
-    let instance = pools.elementObject.get();
+    var instance = pools.elementObject.get();
 
     instance.nodeName = name;
     instance.nodeValue = '';
@@ -163,18 +164,18 @@ export function makeParser() {
   /**
    * Parses HTML and returns a root element
    */
-  let htmlParser = {
+  var htmlParser = {
     /**
      * Parse a chuck of HTML source.
      * @param  {string} data      html
      * @return {HTMLElement}      root element
      */
     parse: function(data) {
-      let rootObject = {};
-      let root = HTMLElement(null, rootObject);
-      let currentParent = root;
-      let stack = [root];
-      let lastTextPos = -1;
+      var rootObject = {};
+      var root = HTMLElement(null, rootObject);
+      var currentParent = root;
+      var stack = [root];
+      var lastTextPos = -1;
 
       if (data.indexOf('<') === -1 && data) {
         currentParent.childNodes[currentParent.childNodes.length] = TextNode(data);
@@ -241,6 +242,10 @@ export function makeParser() {
             let newText = data.slice(match.index + match[0].length, index);
 
             if (newText.trim()) {
+              newText = slice.call(newText).map(ch => {
+                return escapeMap[ch] || ch;
+              }).join('');
+
               currentParent.childNodes.push(TextNode(newText));
             }
 
diff --git a/test/integration/inner.js b/test/integration/inner.js
index 73317a89..701ca40b 100644
--- a/test/integration/inner.js
+++ b/test/integration/inner.js
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ describe('Integration: innerHTML', function() {
   describe('Text', function() {
     it('can decode HTML entities', function() {
       diff.innerHTML(this.fixture, '<div>&lt;</div>');
-      assert.equal(this.fixture.innerText, '&lt;');
+      assert.equal(this.fixture.innerText, '<');
     });
 
     it('can be override existing content', function() {
@@ -79,10 +79,10 @@ describe('Integration: innerHTML', function() {
       assert.equal(this.fixture.firstChild.firstChild, span, 'are the same element');
     });
 
-    it('supports html5 entities', function() {
+    it('supports HTML5 entities', function() {
       diff.innerHTML(this.fixture, '<div>&gla;</div>');
 
-      assert.equal(this.fixture.firstChild.innerText, '&gla;');
+      assert.equal(this.fixture.firstChild.innerText, '⪥');
     });
   });
 
diff --git a/test/integration/outer.js b/test/integration/outer.js
index 20393e65..aa39f1d9 100644
--- a/test/integration/outer.js
+++ b/test/integration/outer.js
@@ -92,12 +92,6 @@ describe('Integration: outerHTML', function() {
       assert.equal(this.fixture.firstChild, span, 'are the same element');
     });
 
-    it('supports HTML5 entities', function() {
-      diff.outerHTML(this.fixture, '<div>&gla;</div>');
-
-      assert.equal(this.fixture.innerText, '&gla;');
-    });
-
     it('will properly escape markup being injected into script tags', function() {
       diff.outerHTML(this.fixture, `
         <div>