diff --git a/MMBackend.h b/MMBackend.h
index bca3b03abf..c2fe4159ce 100644
--- a/MMBackend.h
+++ b/MMBackend.h
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
     BOOL            tabBarVisible;
     int             backgroundColor;
     int             foregroundColor;
+    int             specialColor;
     int             defaultBackgroundColor;
     int             defaultForegroundColor;
     NSDate          *lastFlushDate;
@@ -34,6 +35,7 @@
 
 - (void)setBackgroundColor:(int)color;
 - (void)setForegroundColor:(int)color;
+- (void)setSpecialColor:(int)color;
 - (void)setDefaultColorsBackground:(int)bg foreground:(int)fg;
 
 - (BOOL)checkin;
diff --git a/MMBackend.m b/MMBackend.m
index 64e9a42186..7ba66cfbbf 100644
--- a/MMBackend.m
+++ b/MMBackend.m
@@ -84,6 +84,11 @@ static int specialKeyToNSKey(int key);
     foregroundColor = color;
 }
 
+- (void)setSpecialColor:(int)color
+{
+    specialColor = color;
+}
+
 - (void)setDefaultColorsBackground:(int)bg foreground:(int)fg
 {
     defaultBackgroundColor = bg;
@@ -239,6 +244,7 @@ static int specialKeyToNSKey(int key);
 
     [drawData appendBytes:&backgroundColor length:sizeof(int)];
     [drawData appendBytes:&foregroundColor length:sizeof(int)];
+    [drawData appendBytes:&specialColor length:sizeof(int)];
     [drawData appendBytes:&row length:sizeof(int)];
     [drawData appendBytes:&col length:sizeof(int)];
     [drawData appendBytes:&flags length:sizeof(int)];
diff --git a/MMTextStorage.h b/MMTextStorage.h
index dd7c765805..457e195f24 100644
--- a/MMTextStorage.h
+++ b/MMTextStorage.h
@@ -34,9 +34,9 @@
 - (int)maxColumns;
 - (void)getMaxRows:(int*)rows columns:(int*)cols;
 - (void)setMaxRows:(int)rows columns:(int)cols;
-- (void)replaceString:(NSString*)string atRow:(int)row column:(int)col
-        withFlags:(int)flags foregroundColor:(NSColor*)fg
-        backgroundColor:(NSColor*)bg;
+- (void)replaceString:(NSString *)string atRow:(int)row column:(int)col
+            withFlags:(int)flags foregroundColor:(NSColor *)fg
+      backgroundColor:(NSColor *)bg specialColor:(NSColor *)sp;
 - (void)deleteLinesFromRow:(int)row lineCount:(int)count
               scrollBottom:(int)bottom left:(int)left right:(int)right
                      color:(NSColor *)color;
diff --git a/MMTextStorage.m b/MMTextStorage.m
index ed29f4d87a..97ae7f2c0e 100644
--- a/MMTextStorage.m
+++ b/MMTextStorage.m
@@ -154,9 +154,9 @@
     maxColumns = cols;
 }
 
-- (void)replaceString:(NSString*)string atRow:(int)row column:(int)col
-        withFlags:(int)flags foregroundColor:(NSColor*)fg
-        backgroundColor:(NSColor*)bg
+- (void)replaceString:(NSString *)string atRow:(int)row column:(int)col
+            withFlags:(int)flags foregroundColor:(NSColor *)fg
+      backgroundColor:(NSColor *)bg specialColor:(NSColor *)sp
 {
     //NSLog(@"replaceString:atRow:%d column:%d withFlags:%d", row, col, flags);
     [self lazyResize];
@@ -169,9 +169,9 @@
         return;
     }
 
-    if (!(fg && bg)) {
-        NSLog(@"[%s] WARNING: background or foreground color not specified",
-                _cmd);
+    if (!(fg && bg && sp)) {
+        NSLog(@"[%s] WARNING: background, foreground or special color not "
+                "specified", _cmd);
         return;
     }
 
@@ -183,7 +183,9 @@
 #if !HEED_DRAW_TRANSP
             bg, NSBackgroundColorAttributeName,
 #endif
-            fg, NSForegroundColorAttributeName, nil];
+            fg, NSForegroundColorAttributeName,
+            sp, NSUnderlineColorAttributeName,
+            nil];
     [attribString setAttributes:attributes range:range];
 
 #if HEED_DRAW_TRANSP
diff --git a/MMVimController.m b/MMVimController.m
index b657c666bc..4b257d56ec 100644
--- a/MMVimController.m
+++ b/MMVimController.m
@@ -770,6 +770,7 @@ static NSMenuItem *findMenuItemWithTagInMenu(NSMenu *root, int tag)
         } else if (ReplaceStringDrawType == type) {
             int bg = *((int*)bytes);  bytes += sizeof(int);
             int fg = *((int*)bytes);  bytes += sizeof(int);
+            int sp = *((int*)bytes);  bytes += sizeof(int);
             int row = *((int*)bytes);  bytes += sizeof(int);
             int col = *((int*)bytes);  bytes += sizeof(int);
             int flags = *((int*)bytes);  bytes += sizeof(int);
@@ -785,7 +786,8 @@ static NSMenuItem *findMenuItemWithTagInMenu(NSMenu *root, int tag)
                                  atRow:row column:col
                              withFlags:flags
                        foregroundColor:[NSColor colorWithRgbInt:fg]
-                       backgroundColor:[NSColor colorWithRgbInt:bg]];
+                       backgroundColor:[NSColor colorWithRgbInt:bg]
+                          specialColor:[NSColor colorWithRgbInt:sp]];
 
             [string release];
         } else if (InsertLinesDrawType == type) {
diff --git a/gui_macvim.m b/gui_macvim.m
index fc11ac8a42..704eaa3146 100644
--- a/gui_macvim.m
+++ b/gui_macvim.m
@@ -1226,6 +1226,7 @@ gui_mch_set_shellsize(
     void
 gui_mch_set_sp_color(guicolor_T color)
 {
+    [[MMBackend sharedInstance] setSpecialColor:color];
 }