diff --git a/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js b/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js
index 49c2d8fa0..9388e912a 100644
--- a/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js
+++ b/shared/naturalcrit/markdown.js
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ const replaceVar = function(input, hoist=false, allowUnresolved=false) {
 		mathVars?.forEach((variable)=>{
 			const foundVar = lookupVar(variable, globalPageNumber, hoist);
 			if(foundVar && foundVar.resolved && foundVar.content && !isNaN(foundVar.content)) // Only subsitute math values if fully resolved, not empty strings, and numbers
-				replacedLabel = replacedLabel.replaceAll(variable, foundVar.content);
+				replacedLabel = replacedLabel.replaceAll(new RegExp(`(?<!\\w)(${variable})(?!\\w)`, 'g'), foundVar.content);
 		});
 
 		try {
diff --git a/tests/markdown/variables.test.js b/tests/markdown/variables.test.js
index f53f5558d..2c8db375e 100644
--- a/tests/markdown/variables.test.js
+++ b/tests/markdown/variables.test.js
@@ -372,20 +372,34 @@ describe('Cross-page variables', ()=>{
 	});
 });
 
-describe('Variable names as function parameters', ()=>{
-	it('Single parameter as variable', function() {
+describe('Math function parameter handling', ()=>{
+	it('allows variables in single-parameter functions', function() {
 		const source = '[var]:4.1\n\n$[floor(var)]';
 		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
 		expect(rendered, `Input:\n${source}`, { showPrefix: false }).toBe(`<p>4</p>`);
 	});
-	it('Two parameters, one variable', function() {
+	it('allows one variable and a number in two-parameter functions', function() {
 		const source = '[var]:4\n\n$[min(1,var)]';
 		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
 		expect(rendered, `Input:\n${source}`, { showPrefix: false }).toBe(`<p>1</p>`);
 	});
-	it('Two parameters, both variables', function() {
+	it('allows two variables in two-parameter functions', function() {
 		const source = '[var1]:4\n\n[var2]:8\n\n$[min(var1,var2)]';
 		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
 		expect(rendered, `Input:\n${source}`, { showPrefix: false }).toBe(`<p>4</p>`);
 	});
+});
+
+describe('Variable names that are subsets of other names', ()=>{
+	it('do not conflict with function names', function() {
+		const source = `[a]: -1\n\n$[abs(a)]`;
+		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
+		expect(rendered).toBe('<p>1</p>');
+	});
+
+	it('do not conflict with other variable names', function() {
+		const source = `[ab]: 2\n\n[aba]: 8\n\n[ba]: 4\n\n$[ab + aba + ba]`;
+		const rendered = Markdown.render(source).trimReturns();
+		expect(rendered).toBe('<p>14</p>');
+	});
 });
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