diff --git a/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree-node.vala b/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree-node.vala
index 89da8d0c6b..d64ba5c0de 100644
--- a/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree-node.vala
+++ b/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree-node.vala
@@ -20,16 +20,50 @@
  */
 
 public class Scratch.Plugins.PrefixNode : Object {
-    public GLib.List<PrefixNode> children;
+    public enum NodeType {
+        ROOT,
+        CHAR,
+        WORD_END
+    }
+
+    private const unichar WORD_END_CHAR = '\0';
+    private uint occurrences; // Only used for WORD_END nodes
+
+    public unichar uc { get; construct; }
+    public NodeType node_type { get; construct; }
+    public PrefixNode? parent { get; construct; }
     public unichar value { get; construct; }
 
-    public PrefixNode (unichar c = '\0') {
+    public Gee.ArrayList<PrefixNode> children;
+
+    public PrefixNode.from_unichar (unichar c, PrefixNode? _parent) requires (c != WORD_END_CHAR) {
         Object (
-            value: c
+            value: c,
+            parent: _parent,
+            uc: c,
+            node_type: NodeType.CHAR
         );
     }
 
+    public PrefixNode.root () {
+        Object (
+            parent: null,
+            uc: WORD_END_CHAR,
+            node_type: NodeType.ROOT
+        );
+    }
+
+    public PrefixNode.word_end (PrefixNode _parent) {
+        Object (
+            parent: _parent,
+            uc: WORD_END_CHAR,
+            node_type: NodeType.WORD_END
+        );
+
+        occurrences = 1;
+    }
+
     construct {
-        children = new List<PrefixNode> ();
+        children = new Gee.ArrayList<PrefixNode> ();
     }
 }
diff --git a/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree.vala b/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree.vala
index 28681f6ea8..916ed9612d 100644
--- a/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree.vala
+++ b/plugins/word-completion/prefix-tree.vala
@@ -36,8 +36,9 @@ namespace Scratch.Plugins {
                 }
             }
 
-            var new_child = new PrefixNode (curr);
-            node.children.insert_sorted (new_child, (c1, c2) => {
+            var new_child = new PrefixNode.from_unichar (curr, null);
+            node.children.insert (0, new_child);
+            node.children.sort ((c1, c2) => {
                 if (c1.value > c2.value) {
                     return 1;
                 } else if (c1.value == c2.value) {