diff --git a/klausur-service/backend/cv_ocr_engines.py b/klausur-service/backend/cv_ocr_engines.py
index a244a89..e0e6992 100644
--- a/klausur-service/backend/cv_ocr_engines.py
+++ b/klausur-service/backend/cv_ocr_engines.py
@@ -1250,6 +1250,32 @@ def fix_ipa_continuation_cell(
     if not IPA_AVAILABLE or not garbled_text or not headword_text:
         return garbled_text
 
+    # If headword already has inline IPA like "beat [bˈiːt] , beat, beaten",
+    # only generate continuation IPA for words NOT already covered.
+    covered_words: set = set()
+    has_inline_ipa = bool(re.search(r'\[[^\]]*\]', headword_text))
+    if has_inline_ipa:
+        # Words before the first bracket already have their IPA shown
+        first_bracket = headword_text.index('[')
+        pre_bracket = headword_text[:first_bracket].strip()
+        for w in pre_bracket.split():
+            clean = re.sub(r'[^a-zA-Z\'-]', '', w).lower()
+            if clean and len(clean) >= 2:
+                covered_words.add(clean)
+
+        last_bracket_end = headword_text.rfind(']')
+        tail = headword_text[last_bracket_end + 1:].strip()
+
+        if not tail or not re.search(r'[a-zA-Z]{2,}', tail):
+            # Bracket is at the end (e.g. "the Highlands [ˈhaɪləndz]")
+            # — return the inline IPA directly (continuation duplicates it)
+            last_bracket_start = headword_text.rfind('[')
+            inline_ipa = headword_text[last_bracket_start:last_bracket_end + 1]
+            return inline_ipa
+
+        # Only the tail words need continuation IPA
+        headword_text = tail
+
     # Strip existing IPA brackets and parenthetical grammar annotations
     # like "(no pl)", "(sth)", "(sb)" from headword text
     clean_hw = re.sub(r'\[[^\]]*\]', '', headword_text)
@@ -1270,6 +1296,7 @@ def fix_ipa_continuation_cell(
     # Do NOT skip grammar words here — they are integral parts of the
     # headword (e.g. "close down", "the United Kingdom").  Grammar
     # annotations like "(sth)", "(no pl)" are already stripped above.
+    # Skip words that already have inline IPA in the headword row.
     ipa_parts: List[str] = []
     for part in parts:
         # A part may be multi-word like "secondary school"
@@ -1279,6 +1306,8 @@ def fix_ipa_continuation_cell(
             clean_w = re.sub(r'[^a-zA-Z\'-]', '', w)
             if not clean_w or len(clean_w) < 2:
                 continue
+            if covered_words and clean_w.lower() in covered_words:
+                continue  # Already has IPA inline in the headword
             ipa = _lookup_ipa(clean_w, pronunciation)
             if ipa:
                 word_ipas.append(ipa)
diff --git a/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py b/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py
index a04836c..eb3406a 100644
--- a/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py
+++ b/klausur-service/backend/grid_editor_api.py
@@ -1798,7 +1798,13 @@ async def _build_grid_core(session_id: str, session: dict) -> dict:
                         continue
                     cell_text = (cell.get("text") or "").strip()
                     if not cell_text:
-                        continue
+                        # Step 5c may have emptied garbled IPA cells like
+                        # "[n, nn]" — recover text from word_boxes.
+                        wb_texts = [w.get("text", "")
+                                    for w in cell.get("word_boxes", [])]
+                        cell_text = " ".join(wb_texts).strip()
+                        if not cell_text:
+                            continue
 
                     is_bracketed = (
                         cell_text.startswith('[') and cell_text.endswith(']')
diff --git a/klausur-service/backend/tests/test_grid_editor_api.py b/klausur-service/backend/tests/test_grid_editor_api.py
index 5e5f99b..8280a22 100644
--- a/klausur-service/backend/tests/test_grid_editor_api.py
+++ b/klausur-service/backend/tests/test_grid_editor_api.py
@@ -510,6 +510,23 @@ class TestGarbledIpaDetection:
         assert "klˈəʊs" in fixed   # close IPA
         assert "dˈaʊn" in fixed    # down IPA — must NOT be skipped
 
+    def test_continuation_skips_words_with_inline_ipa(self):
+        """'beat [bˈiːt] , beat, beaten' → continuation only for 'beaten'."""
+        fixed = fix_ipa_continuation_cell(
+            "[bi:tan]", "beat [bˈiːt] , beat, beaten", pronunciation="british",
+        )
+        # Should only have IPA for "beaten", NOT for "beat" (already inline)
+        assert "bˈiːtən" in fixed
+        assert fixed.count("bˈiːt") == 0 or fixed == "[bˈiːtən]"
+
+    def test_continuation_bracket_at_end_returns_inline(self):
+        """'the Highlands [ˈhaɪləndz]' → return inline IPA, not IPA for 'the'."""
+        fixed = fix_ipa_continuation_cell(
+            "'hailandz", "the Highlands [ˈhaɪləndz]", pronunciation="british",
+        )
+        assert fixed == "[ˈhaɪləndz]"
+        assert "ðə" not in fixed  # "the" must NOT get IPA
+
     def test_headword_with_brackets_not_continuation(self):
         """'employee [im'ploi:]' has a headword outside brackets → not garbled.