diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/RawOptions.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/RawOptions.hs
index 43de5be10..33b4c77fc 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/RawOptions.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Data/RawOptions.hs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ import Hledger.Utils
 type RawOpts = [(String,String)]
 
 setopt :: String -> String -> RawOpts -> RawOpts
-setopt name val = (++ [(name,singleQuoteIfNeeded val)])
+setopt name val = (++ [(name, quoteIfNeeded val)])
 
 setboolopt :: String -> RawOpts -> RawOpts
 setboolopt name = (++ [(name,"")])
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
index 5a8dff3f3..edc5dc432 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Query.hs
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ module Hledger.Query (
   matchesAccount,
   matchesMixedAmount,
   matchesAmount,
+  words'',
   -- * tests
   tests_Hledger_Query
 )
@@ -169,18 +170,17 @@ tests_parseQuery = [
 words'' :: [String] -> String -> [String]
 words'' prefixes = fromparse . parsewith maybeprefixedquotedphrases -- XXX
     where
-      maybeprefixedquotedphrases = choice' [prefixedQuotedPattern, quotedPattern, pattern] `sepBy` many1 spacenonewline
+      maybeprefixedquotedphrases = choice' [prefixedQuotedPattern, singleQuotedPattern, doubleQuotedPattern, pattern] `sepBy` many1 spacenonewline
       prefixedQuotedPattern = do
         not' <- fromMaybe "" `fmap` (optionMaybe $ string "not:")
         let allowednexts | null not' = prefixes
                          | otherwise = prefixes ++ [""]
         next <- choice' $ map string allowednexts
         let prefix = not' ++ next
-        p <- quotedPattern
+        p <- singleQuotedPattern <|> doubleQuotedPattern
         return $ prefix ++ stripquotes p
-      quotedPattern = do
-        p <- between (oneOf "'\"") (oneOf "'\"") $ many $ noneOf "'\""
-        return $ stripquotes p
+      singleQuotedPattern = between (char '\'') (char '\'') (many $ noneOf "'") >>= return . stripquotes
+      doubleQuotedPattern = between (char '"') (char '"') (many $ noneOf "\"") >>= return . stripquotes
       pattern = many (noneOf " \n\r")
 
 tests_words'' = [
diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
index f9ce36112..34d66c43c 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Utils.hs
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ underline s = s' ++ replicate (length s) '-' ++ "\n"
             | last s == '\n' = s
             | otherwise = s ++ "\n"
 
--- | Wrap a string in single quotes, and \-prefix any embedded single
+-- | Wrap a string in double quotes, and \-prefix any embedded single
 -- quotes, if it contains whitespace and is not already single- or
 -- double-quoted.
 quoteIfSpaced :: String -> String
@@ -99,6 +99,22 @@ quoteIfSpaced s | isSingleQuoted s || isDoubleQuoted s = s
                 | not $ any (`elem` s) whitespacechars = s
                 | otherwise = "'"++escapeSingleQuotes s++"'"
 
+-- | Double-quote this string if it contains whitespace, single quotes
+-- or double-quotes, escaping the quotes as needed.
+quoteIfNeeded s | any (`elem` s) (quotechars++whitespacechars) = "\"" ++ escapeDoubleQuotes s ++ "\""
+                | otherwise = s
+
+-- | Single-quote this string if it contains whitespace or double-quotes.
+-- No good for strings containing single quotes.
+singleQuoteIfNeeded s | any (`elem` s) whitespacechars = "'"++s++"'"
+                      | otherwise = s
+
+quotechars      = "'\""
+whitespacechars = " \t\n\r"
+
+escapeDoubleQuotes :: String -> String
+escapeDoubleQuotes = regexReplace "\"" "\""
+
 escapeSingleQuotes :: String -> String
 escapeSingleQuotes = regexReplace "'" "\'"
 
@@ -111,22 +127,17 @@ words' :: String -> [String]
 words' "" = []
 words' s  = map stripquotes $ fromparse $ parsewith p s
     where
-      p = do ss <- (quotedPattern <|> pattern) `sepBy` many1 spacenonewline
+      p = do ss <- (singleQuotedPattern <|> doubleQuotedPattern <|> pattern) `sepBy` many1 spacenonewline
              -- eof
              return ss
       pattern = many (noneOf whitespacechars)
-      quotedPattern = between (oneOf "'\"") (oneOf "'\"") $ many $ noneOf "'\""
+      singleQuotedPattern = between (char '\'') (char '\'') (many $ noneOf "'")
+      doubleQuotedPattern = between (char '"') (char '"') (many $ noneOf "\"")
 
 -- | Quote-aware version of unwords - single-quote strings which contain whitespace
 unwords' :: [String] -> String
 unwords' = unwords . map singleQuoteIfNeeded
 
--- | Single-quote this string if it contains whitespace or double-quotes
-singleQuoteIfNeeded s | any (`elem` s) whitespacechars = "'"++s++"'"
-                      | otherwise = s
-
-whitespacechars = " \t\n\r"
-
 -- | Strip one matching pair of single or double quotes on the ends of a string.
 stripquotes :: String -> String
 stripquotes s = if isSingleQuoted s || isDoubleQuoted s then init $ tail s else s