diff --git a/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py b/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py
index 5c08be7..0c20a5a 100644
--- a/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py
+++ b/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py
@@ -737,7 +737,9 @@ def _detect_heading_rows_by_single_cell(
             if not text or text.startswith("["):
                 continue
             # Skip garbled IPA without brackets (e.g. "ska:f – ska:vz")
-            if _text_has_garbled_ipa(text):
+            # but NOT text with real IPA symbols (e.g. "Theme [θˈiːm]")
+            _REAL_IPA_CHARS = set("ˈˌəɪɛɒʊʌæɑɔʃʒθðŋ")
+            if _text_has_garbled_ipa(text) and not any(c in _REAL_IPA_CHARS for c in text):
                 continue
             heading_row_indices.append(ri)