diff --git a/headers/build/private/shared/Keymap.h b/headers/build/private/shared/Keymap.h
index 464db33f09..9398949319 100644
--- a/headers/build/private/shared/Keymap.h
+++ b/headers/build/private/shared/Keymap.h
@@ -28,9 +28,10 @@ public:
 			bool				IsModifierKey(uint32 keyCode) const;
 			uint32				Modifier(uint32 keyCode) const;
 			uint32				KeyForModifier(uint32 modifier) const;
-			uint8				IsDeadKey(uint32 keyCode,
-									uint32 modifiers,
-									bool* isEnabled = NULL) const;
+			uint8				ActiveDeadKey(uint32 keyCode,
+									uint32 modifiers) const;
+			uint8				DeadKey(uint32 keyCode, uint32 modifiers,
+									bool* _isEnabled) const;
 			bool				IsDeadSecondKey(uint32 keyCode,
 									uint32 modifiers,
 									uint8 activeDeadKey) const;
diff --git a/headers/private/shared/Keymap.h b/headers/private/shared/Keymap.h
index 464db33f09..8b95913df5 100644
--- a/headers/private/shared/Keymap.h
+++ b/headers/private/shared/Keymap.h
@@ -28,8 +28,9 @@ public:
 			bool				IsModifierKey(uint32 keyCode) const;
 			uint32				Modifier(uint32 keyCode) const;
 			uint32				KeyForModifier(uint32 modifier) const;
-			uint8				IsDeadKey(uint32 keyCode,
-									uint32 modifiers,
+			uint8				ActiveDeadKey(uint32 keyCode,
+									uint32 modifiers) const;
+			uint8				DeadKey(uint32 keyCode, uint32 modifiers,
 									bool* isEnabled = NULL) const;
 			bool				IsDeadSecondKey(uint32 keyCode,
 									uint32 modifiers,
diff --git a/src/add-ons/input_server/devices/keyboard/KeyboardInputDevice.cpp b/src/add-ons/input_server/devices/keyboard/KeyboardInputDevice.cpp
index 24d5921b40..018c9f41e8 100644
--- a/src/add-ons/input_server/devices/keyboard/KeyboardInputDevice.cpp
+++ b/src/add-ons/input_server/devices/keyboard/KeyboardInputDevice.cpp
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ KeyboardDevice::_ControlThread()
 
 		uint8 newDeadKey = 0;
 		if (activeDeadKey == 0 || !isKeyDown)
-			newDeadKey = fKeymap.IsDeadKey(keycode, fModifiers);
+			newDeadKey = fKeymap.ActiveDeadKey(keycode, fModifiers);
 
 		char* string = NULL;
 		char* rawString = NULL;
diff --git a/src/bin/consoled/consoled.cpp b/src/bin/consoled/consoled.cpp
index 41557d64a6..71b40b2644 100644
--- a/src/bin/consoled/consoled.cpp
+++ b/src/bin/consoled/consoled.cpp
@@ -147,7 +147,7 @@ keyboard_reader(void* arg)
 
 		uint8 newDeadKey = 0;
 		if (activeDeadKey == 0 || !isKeyDown)
-			newDeadKey = keymap.IsDeadKey(keycode, modifiers);
+			newDeadKey = keymap.ActiveDeadKey(keycode, modifiers);
 
 		char* string = NULL;
 		int32 numBytes = 0;
diff --git a/src/kits/shared/Keymap.cpp b/src/kits/shared/Keymap.cpp
index 44d26fd400..7ce702de59 100644
--- a/src/kits/shared/Keymap.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/shared/Keymap.cpp
@@ -247,12 +247,26 @@ BKeymap::KeyForModifier(uint32 modifier) const
 }
 
 
+/*! Checks whether a key is an active dead key.
+*/
+uint8
+BKeymap::ActiveDeadKey(uint32 keyCode, uint32 modifiers) const
+{
+	bool enabled;
+	uint8 deadKey = DeadKey(keyCode, modifiers, &enabled);
+	if (deadKey == 0 || !enabled)
+		return 0;
+
+	return deadKey;
+}
+
+
 /*! Checks whether a key is a dead key.
 	If it is, the enabled/disabled state of that dead key will be passed
 	out via isEnabled (isEnabled is not touched for non-dead keys).
 */
 uint8
-BKeymap::IsDeadKey(uint32 keyCode, uint32 modifiers, bool* _isEnabled) const
+BKeymap::DeadKey(uint32 keyCode, uint32 modifiers, bool* _isEnabled) const
 {
 	uint32 tableMask = 0;
 	int32 offset = Offset(keyCode, modifiers, &tableMask);
@@ -510,10 +524,10 @@ BKeymap::DeadKeyIndex(int32 offset) const
 		return 0;
 
 	uint32 numBytes = fChars[offset];
-	if (!numBytes)
+	if (!numBytes || numBytes > 4)
 		return 0;
 
-	char chars[4];
+	char chars[5];
 	strncpy(chars, &fChars[offset + 1], numBytes);
 	chars[numBytes] = 0;
 
@@ -527,19 +541,15 @@ BKeymap::DeadKeyIndex(int32 offset) const
 
 	uint8 result = 0;
 	for (int32 i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
-		if (offset == deadOffsets[i]) {
-			result = i + 1;
-			break;
-		}
+		if (offset == deadOffsets[i])
+			return i + 1;
 
 		uint32 deadNumBytes = fChars[deadOffsets[i]];
 		if (!deadNumBytes)
 			continue;
 
-		if (strncmp(chars, &fChars[deadOffsets[i] + 1], deadNumBytes) == 0) {
-			result = i + 1;
-			break;
-		}
+		if (strncmp(chars, &fChars[deadOffsets[i] + 1], deadNumBytes) == 0)
+			return i + 1;
 	}
 
 	return result;
diff --git a/src/preferences/keymap/KeyboardLayoutView.cpp b/src/preferences/keymap/KeyboardLayoutView.cpp
index 21d5f69cd4..d299ebe699 100644
--- a/src/preferences/keymap/KeyboardLayoutView.cpp
+++ b/src/preferences/keymap/KeyboardLayoutView.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright 2009, Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de.
+ * Copyright 2009-2010, Axel Dörfler, axeld@pinc-software.de.
  * Distributed under the terms of the MIT License.
  */
 
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ KeyboardLayoutView::MouseDown(BPoint point)
 		if (fKeymap != NULL) {
 			bool isEnabled = false;
 			uint8 deadKey
-				= fKeymap->IsDeadKey(key->code, fModifiers, &isEnabled);
+				= fKeymap->DeadKey(key->code, fModifiers, &isEnabled);
 			if (deadKey > 0) {
 				fKeymap->SetDeadKeyEnabled(key->code, fModifiers, !isEnabled);
 				_InvalidateKey(key);
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ KeyboardLayoutView::_DrawKey(BView* view, BRect updateRect, const Key* key,
 	char text[32];
 	if (fKeymap != NULL) {
 		_GetKeyLabel(key, text, sizeof(text), keyKind);
-		deadKey = fKeymap->IsDeadKey(key->code, fModifiers, &isDeadKeyEnabled);
+		deadKey = fKeymap->DeadKey(key->code, fModifiers, &isDeadKeyEnabled);
 		secondDeadKey = fKeymap->IsDeadSecondKey(key->code, fModifiers,
 			fDeadKey);
 	} else {
@@ -945,7 +945,7 @@ KeyboardLayoutView::_HandleDeadKey(uint32 key, int32 modifiers)
 		return false;
 
 	bool isEnabled = false;
-	int32 deadKey = fKeymap->IsDeadKey(key, modifiers, &isEnabled);
+	int32 deadKey = fKeymap->DeadKey(key, modifiers, &isEnabled);
 	if (fDeadKey != deadKey) {
 		if (isEnabled) {
 			Invalidate();