diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index da79302..1dbf60b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ highlighting driven by treesitter.
   [vim-fugitive](https://github.com/tpope/vim-fugitive),
   [Neogit](https://github.com/NeogitOrg/neogit), builtin `diff` filetype, and
   more!
-- Word and chatacer-level diff highlighting
+- Word- and character-level diff highlighting, driven by `'diffopt'` `inline:`
 - `:Diff` for [pierre-style](https://diffs.com) unified, stacked, or split diffs against any revision
 - `:Diff review` full-repo review diff with qflist/loclist navigation
 - `:Diff files` to diff two arbitrary files, or the buffer against its last save
diff --git a/doc/diffs.nvim.txt b/doc/diffs.nvim.txt
index 7cfb220..c0adb8b 100644
--- a/doc/diffs.nvim.txt
+++ b/doc/diffs.nvim.txt
@@ -19,8 +19,7 @@ All other integrations are opt-in. See |diffs.nvim-integrations|.
 
 Features: ~
 - Treesitter syntax highlighting in diff hunks
-- Character-level intra-line diff highlighting
-- Word-level diff highlighting
+- Intra-line diff highlighting, character- or word-level per 'diffopt'
 - Vim syntax fallback for languages without a treesitter parser
 - Blended diff background colors that preserve syntax visibility
 - Optional diff prefix (`+`/`-`/` `) concealment
@@ -305,11 +304,13 @@ Configuration is done via `vim.g.diffs`. Set options before the plugin loads:
                                                       *diffs.nvim.IntraConfig*
     Intra config fields: ~
         {enabled}            (boolean, default: true)
-                             Enable character-level diff highlighting within
-                             changed lines. When a line changes from `local x = 1`
+                             Enable intra-line diff highlighting within changed
+                             lines. When a line changes from `local x = 1`
                              to `local x = 2`, only the `1`/`2` characters get
                              an intense background overlay while the rest of the
-                             line keeps the softer line-level background.
+                             line keeps the softer line-level background. How
+                             much of the line is covered follows 'diffopt'
+                             `inline:`; see |diffs.nvim-inline|.
 
         {algorithm}          (string, default: 'default')
                              Diff algorithm for character-level analysis.
@@ -763,6 +764,41 @@ Whitespace handling: ~                                  *diffs.nvim-whitespace*
       computed with |vim.diff()| but not the git-backed surfaces (|:Diff-review|
       and the staged/unstaged section diffs).
 
+Inline granularity: ~                                       *diffs.nvim-inline*
+
+    How much of a changed line is emphasized comes from 'diffopt' `inline:`, so
+    diffs.nvim surfaces match native |:diffsplit| windows. As with whitespace,
+    there is no separate plugin option.
+
+        inline:none     No intra-line emphasis. Changed lines keep only their
+                        line-level background.
+        inline:simple   One span per line, from the first differing byte to
+                        the last.
+        inline:char     A span per differing run of characters.
+        inline:word     Spans grown to whole words, with gaps of five bytes or
+                        less of non-word characters merged into one block.
+
+    Neovim treats a 'diffopt' with no `inline:` value as `inline:simple`, and
+    diffs.nvim resolves it the same way. To emphasize whole words: >vim
+        set diffopt+=inline:word
+<
+    The setting takes effect live through the same 'diffopt' repaint described
+    above, so a plain `:set`, an unimpaired-style toggle, or an autocmd all
+    work. There is no dedicated mapping.
+
+    `highlights.intra` stays orthogonal: `inline:` chooses the granularity,
+    `highlights.intra.algorithm` chooses the engine that finds the differences,
+    and `highlights.intra.enabled = false` turns the feature off regardless of
+    'diffopt'.
+
+    Limitations: ~
+    - `inline:word` is produced by growing character-level spans to the word
+      boundaries they touch, not by re-diffing the line word by word. The
+      result matches Neovim's own `inline:word` rendering on ordinary source
+      lines, but the two are not guaranteed identical in every case.
+    - difftastic-rendered diffs keep their structural token spans; `inline:`
+      does not apply to them (see |diffs.nvim-difftastic|).
+
 ==============================================================================
 MAPPINGS                                                 *diffs.nvim-mappings*
 
diff --git a/lua/diffs/diff.lua b/lua/diffs/diff.lua
index b33d330..1360f1b 100644
--- a/lua/diffs/diff.lua
+++ b/lua/diffs/diff.lua
@@ -136,6 +136,130 @@ local function drop_whitespace_spans(spans, line, diff_opts)
   return kept
 end
 
+--- Gap between two inline:word changes that 'diffopt' folds into a single
+--- highlight block, in bytes.
+local WORD_GAP_MERGE = 5
+
+--- Whether a byte belongs to a |word| (letters, digits, underscore). Bytes of a
+--- multi-byte character are excluded on purpose: 'diffopt' counts emoji and CJK
+--- characters as individual words, so a word boundary falls either side of one.
+---@param byte string
+---@return boolean
+local function is_word_byte(byte)
+  return byte:match('[%w_]') ~= nil
+end
+
+--- Grow a span outward until it covers whole words. The spans reaching here come
+--- from a character-wise differ, so inline:word is produced by widening them to
+--- the word boundaries they already touch rather than by diffing words.
+---@param span diffs.CharSpan
+---@param line string
+---@return diffs.CharSpan
+local function extend_span_to_words(span, line)
+  local col_start, col_end = span.col_start, span.col_end
+  if is_word_byte(line:sub(col_start, col_start)) then
+    while col_start > 1 and is_word_byte(line:sub(col_start - 1, col_start - 1)) do
+      col_start = col_start - 1
+    end
+  end
+  if is_word_byte(line:sub(col_end - 1, col_end - 1)) then
+    while col_end <= #line and is_word_byte(line:sub(col_end, col_end)) do
+      col_end = col_end + 1
+    end
+  end
+  return { line = span.line, col_start = col_start, col_end = col_end }
+end
+
+--- Whether the half-open byte range holds no word bytes. A gap containing one
+--- means an unchanged word sits between the spans, which must not be swallowed.
+---@param line string
+---@param from integer
+---@param to integer
+---@return boolean
+local function gap_is_wordless(line, from, to)
+  for i = from, to - 1 do
+    if is_word_byte(line:sub(i, i)) then
+      return false
+    end
+  end
+  return true
+end
+
+--- Merge one line's word spans where they overlap or are parted by a short run
+--- of non-word bytes, matching how 'diffopt' inline:word blocks read.
+---@param spans diffs.CharSpan[]
+---@param line string
+---@return diffs.CharSpan[]
+local function merge_word_spans(spans, line)
+  table.sort(spans, function(a, b)
+    return a.col_start < b.col_start
+  end)
+
+  ---@type diffs.CharSpan[]
+  local merged = {}
+  for _, span in ipairs(spans) do
+    local prev = merged[#merged]
+    local gap = prev and span.col_start - prev.col_end or nil
+    if
+      prev
+      and gap
+      and gap <= WORD_GAP_MERGE
+      and (gap <= 0 or gap_is_wordless(line, prev.col_end, span.col_start))
+    then
+      prev.col_end = math.max(prev.col_end, span.col_end)
+    else
+      merged[#merged + 1] = span
+    end
+  end
+  return merged
+end
+
+--- Reshape character-wise spans to the granularity 'diffopt' inline: asks for.
+--- `char` is what the differs already produce, so it passes through untouched.
+---@param spans diffs.CharSpan[]
+---@param texts table<integer, string>
+---@param mode diffs.InlineMode
+---@return diffs.CharSpan[]
+local function apply_inline_mode(spans, texts, mode)
+  if mode == 'char' or #spans == 0 then
+    return spans
+  end
+
+  ---@type table<integer, diffs.CharSpan[]>
+  local by_line = {}
+  ---@type integer[]
+  local line_order = {}
+  for _, span in ipairs(spans) do
+    if not by_line[span.line] then
+      by_line[span.line] = {}
+      line_order[#line_order + 1] = span.line
+    end
+    table.insert(by_line[span.line], span)
+  end
+
+  ---@type diffs.CharSpan[]
+  local out = {}
+  for _, line_idx in ipairs(line_order) do
+    local line = texts[line_idx] or ''
+    if mode == 'simple' then
+      local col_start, col_end = math.huge, 0
+      for _, span in ipairs(by_line[line_idx]) do
+        col_start = math.min(col_start, span.col_start)
+        col_end = math.max(col_end, span.col_end)
+      end
+      out[#out + 1] = { line = line_idx, col_start = col_start, col_end = col_end }
+    else
+      ---@type diffs.CharSpan[]
+      local extended = {}
+      for _, span in ipairs(by_line[line_idx]) do
+        extended[#extended + 1] = extend_span_to_words(span, line)
+      end
+      vim.list_extend(out, merge_word_spans(extended, line))
+    end
+  end
+  return out
+end
+
 ---@param old_line string
 ---@param new_line string
 ---@param del_idx integer
@@ -339,6 +463,12 @@ end
 ---@param algorithm? string
 ---@return diffs.IntraChanges?
 function M.compute_intra_hunks(hunk_lines, algorithm)
+  local inline = diffopt.inline()
+  if inline == 'none' then
+    dbg('intra skipped: diffopt inline:none')
+    return nil
+  end
+
   local groups = M.extract_change_groups(hunk_lines)
   if #groups == 0 then
     return nil
@@ -407,7 +537,16 @@ function M.compute_intra_hunks(hunk_lines, algorithm)
     return nil
   end
 
-  return { add_spans = all_add, del_spans = all_del }
+  ---@type table<integer, string>
+  local texts = {}
+  for i, line in ipairs(hunk_lines) do
+    texts[i] = line:sub(2)
+  end
+
+  return {
+    add_spans = apply_inline_mode(all_add, texts, inline),
+    del_spans = apply_inline_mode(all_del, texts, inline),
+  }
 end
 
 --- Normalize a line for whitespace-insensitive comparison, following the active
diff --git a/lua/diffs/diffopt.lua b/lua/diffs/diffopt.lua
index 3ed5d60..ca1e43c 100644
--- a/lua/diffs/diffopt.lua
+++ b/lua/diffs/diffopt.lua
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
+---@alias diffs.InlineMode 'none'|'simple'|'char'|'word'
+
 ---@class diffs.DiffOpts
 ---@field algorithm? string
 ---@field linematch? integer
+---@field inline? diffs.InlineMode
 ---@field ignore_whitespace? boolean
 ---@field ignore_whitespace_change? boolean
 ---@field ignore_whitespace_change_at_eol? boolean
@@ -18,6 +21,17 @@ local WHITESPACE_FLAGS = {
   iblank = 'ignore_blank_lines',
 }
 
+--- 'diffopt' inline: granularities. Unknown values are ignored rather than
+--- treated as "off", so a value added by a future Neovim does not silently
+--- drop intra-line highlighting.
+---@type table<string, boolean>
+local INLINE_MODES = {
+  none = true,
+  simple = true,
+  char = true,
+  word = true,
+}
+
 --- Resolve the effective diff options from Neovim's global 'diffopt'.
 ---@return diffs.DiffOpts
 function M.resolve()
@@ -29,6 +43,8 @@ function M.resolve()
       opts.algorithm = val
     elseif key == 'linematch' then
       opts.linematch = tonumber(val)
+    elseif key == 'inline' and INLINE_MODES[val] then
+      opts.inline = val
     elseif WHITESPACE_FLAGS[item] then
       opts[WHITESPACE_FLAGS[item]] = true
     end
@@ -36,14 +52,25 @@ function M.resolve()
   return opts
 end
 
---- Options to merge into a vim.diff()/vim.text.diff() call.
+--- Effective intra-line granularity. 'diffopt' treats a missing `inline:` as
+--- `simple`, so plugin surfaces resolve it the same way native diff windows do.
+---@return diffs.InlineMode
+function M.inline()
+  return M.resolve().inline or 'simple'
+end
+
+--- Options to merge into a vim.diff()/vim.text.diff() call. inline is dropped:
+--- it only shapes highlighting, and vim.diff() rejects keys it does not know.
 ---@return diffs.DiffOpts
 function M.vim_diff_opts()
-  return M.resolve()
+  local opts = M.resolve()
+  opts.inline = nil
+  return opts
 end
 
 --- Equivalent git diff flags for the resolved options. linematch has no git
---- counterpart and is omitted.
+--- counterpart and is omitted, and inline only shapes highlighting, not the
+--- diff git is asked to produce.
 ---@return string[]
 function M.git_flags()
   local opts = M.resolve()
diff --git a/spec/diff_spec.lua b/spec/diff_spec.lua
index 2cc22ac..b2fb509 100644
--- a/spec/diff_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/diff_spec.lua
@@ -155,6 +155,67 @@ describe('diff', function()
     end)
   end)
 
+  describe('compute_intra_hunks inline granularity', function()
+    local saved
+
+    before_each(function()
+      saved = vim.o.diffopt
+    end)
+
+    after_each(function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = saved
+    end)
+
+    --- Spans of the added line, rendered as the text they cover.
+    ---@param lines string[]
+    ---@return string[]
+    local function add_texts(lines)
+      local result = diff.compute_intra_hunks(lines, 'default')
+      if not result then
+        return {}
+      end
+      local out = {}
+      for _, span in ipairs(result.add_spans) do
+        out[#out + 1] = lines[span.line]:sub(1 + span.col_start, span.col_end)
+      end
+      table.sort(out)
+      return out
+    end
+
+    local changed = { '-local foo_bar = 1 + qux', '+local foo_baz = 2 + qux' }
+
+    it('skips intra-line work entirely on inline:none', function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler,inline:none'
+      assert.is_nil(diff.compute_intra_hunks(changed, 'default'))
+    end)
+
+    it('spans first to last difference on inline:simple', function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler,inline:simple'
+      assert.are.same({ 'z = 2' }, add_texts(changed))
+    end)
+
+    it('spans each differing run on inline:char', function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler,inline:char'
+      assert.are.same({ '2', 'z' }, add_texts(changed))
+    end)
+
+    it('grows spans to whole words on inline:word', function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler,inline:word'
+      assert.are.same({ 'foo_baz = 2' }, add_texts(changed))
+    end)
+
+    it('merges word spans only across short non-word gaps', function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler,inline:word'
+      assert.are.same({ 'B', 'F' }, add_texts({ '-a+b+c+d+e+f+g', '+a+B+c+d+e+F+g' }))
+      assert.are.same({ 'xxx', 'yyy' }, add_texts({ '-aaa bbb ccc ddd', '+aaa xxx ccc yyy' }))
+    end)
+
+    it('falls back to simple when diffopt sets no inline value', function()
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler'
+      assert.are.same({ 'z = 2' }, add_texts(changed))
+    end)
+  end)
+
   describe('has_vscode', function()
     it('returns false in test environment', function()
       assert.is_false(diff.has_vscode())
diff --git a/spec/diffopt_spec.lua b/spec/diffopt_spec.lua
index c1c2d0f..7f65d53 100644
--- a/spec/diffopt_spec.lua
+++ b/spec/diffopt_spec.lua
@@ -36,6 +36,26 @@ describe('diffopt resolver', function()
     assert.are.equal(60, opts.linematch)
   end)
 
+  it('resolves every inline granularity', function()
+    for _, mode in ipairs({ 'none', 'simple', 'char', 'word' }) do
+      vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler,inline:' .. mode
+      assert.are.equal(mode, diffopt.resolve().inline)
+      assert.are.equal(mode, diffopt.inline())
+    end
+  end)
+
+  it('treats a missing inline value as simple, like Neovim does', function()
+    vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,filler'
+    assert.is_nil(diffopt.resolve().inline)
+    assert.are.equal('simple', diffopt.inline())
+  end)
+
+  it('omits inline from git flags and vim.diff() options', function()
+    vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,inline:word,iwhiteall'
+    assert.are.same({ '--ignore-all-space' }, diffopt.git_flags())
+    assert.are.same({ ignore_whitespace = true }, diffopt.vim_diff_opts())
+  end)
+
   it('maps flags onto the equivalent git diff flags', function()
     vim.o.diffopt = 'internal,iwhiteall'
     assert.are.same({ '--ignore-all-space' }, diffopt.git_flags())