diff --git a/klausur-service/backend/cv_gutter_repair.py b/klausur-service/backend/cv_gutter_repair.py
index 5c64cd5..03c7bd1 100644
--- a/klausur-service/backend/cv_gutter_repair.py
+++ b/klausur-service/backend/cv_gutter_repair.py
@@ -217,6 +217,13 @@ def _try_spell_fix(
     if len(word_text) < _MIN_WORD_LEN_SPELL:
         return None
 
+    # Strip trailing/leading parentheses and check if the bare word is valid.
+    # Words like "probieren)" or "(Englisch" are valid words with punctuation,
+    # not OCR errors. Don't suggest corrections for them.
+    stripped = word_text.strip("()")
+    if stripped and _is_known(stripped):
+        return None
+
     # Determine language priority from column type
     if "en" in col_type:
         lang = "en"
@@ -362,7 +369,7 @@ def analyse_grid_for_gutter_repair(
             if last_word.lower().rstrip(".,;:!?-") in _STOPWORDS:
                 continue
 
-            last_word_clean = last_word.rstrip(".,;:!?")
+            last_word_clean = last_word.rstrip(".,;:!?)(")
             if len(last_word_clean) < _MIN_WORD_LEN_HYPHEN:
                 continue