diff --git a/cypress/integration/rendering/stateDiagram.spec.js b/cypress/integration/rendering/stateDiagram.spec.js
index 777359bd7..55c131da2 100644
--- a/cypress/integration/rendering/stateDiagram.spec.js
+++ b/cypress/integration/rendering/stateDiagram.spec.js
@@ -31,10 +31,10 @@ describe('State diagram', () => {
     imgSnapshotTest(
       `
     stateDiagram
-    State1: The state with a note
+    State1: The state with a note with minus - and plus + in it
     note left of State1
       Important information! You can write
-      notes.
+      notes with . and  in them.
     end note
       `,
       { logLevel: 0 }
@@ -45,12 +45,13 @@ describe('State diagram', () => {
     imgSnapshotTest(
       `
     stateDiagram
-    State1: The state with a note
+    State1: The state with a note +,-
     note right of State1
-      Important information! You can write
+      Important information! You can write +,-
       notes.
     end note
-    State1 --> State2
+    State1 --> State2 : With +,-
+    note left of State2 : This is the note +,-<br/>
       `,
       { logLevel: 0 }
     );
diff --git a/src/diagrams/state/parser/stateDiagram.jison b/src/diagrams/state/parser/stateDiagram.jison
index 4a5c9c963..b05eb8c9c 100644
--- a/src/diagrams/state/parser/stateDiagram.jison
+++ b/src/diagrams/state/parser/stateDiagram.jison
@@ -65,14 +65,15 @@
 <FLOATING_NOTE>[^"]*         { console.log('Floating note text: ', yytext);return "NOTE_TEXT";}
 <FLOATING_NOTE_ID>[^\n]*         {this.popState();console.log('Floating note ID', yytext);return "ID";}
 <NOTE_ID>\s*[^:\n\s\-]+                { this.popState();this.pushState('NOTE_TEXT');console.log('Got ID for note', yytext);return 'ID';}
-<NOTE_TEXT>\s*":"[^\+\-:\n,;]+       { this.popState();console.log('Got NOTE_TEXT for note',yytext);return 'NOTE_TEXT';}
-<NOTE_TEXT>\s*[^\+\-:,;]+"end note"       { this.popState();console.log('Got NOTE_TEXT for note',yytext);yytext = yytext.slice(0,-8).trim();return 'NOTE_TEXT';}
+<NOTE_TEXT>\s*":"[^:\n;]+       { this.popState();console.log('Got NOTE_TEXT for note',yytext);yytext = yytext.substr(2).trim();return 'NOTE_TEXT';}
+<NOTE_TEXT>\s*[^:;]+"end note"       { this.popState();console.log('Got NOTE_TEXT for note',yytext);yytext = yytext.slice(0,-8).trim();return 'NOTE_TEXT';}
 
 "stateDiagram"\s+                   { console.log('Got state diagram', yytext,'#');return 'SD'; }
 "hide empty description"    { console.log('HIDE_EMPTY', yytext,'#');return 'HIDE_EMPTY'; }
 <INITIAL,struct>"[*]"                   { console.log('EDGE_STATE=',yytext); return 'EDGE_STATE';}
 <INITIAL,struct>[^:\n\s\-\{]+                { console.log('=>ID=',yytext); return 'ID';}
-<INITIAL,struct>\s*":"[^\+\->:\n,;]+      { yytext = yytext.trim(); console.log('Descr = ', yytext); return 'DESCR'; }
+// <INITIAL,struct>\s*":"[^\+\->:\n;]+      { yytext = yytext.trim(); console.log('Descr = ', yytext); return 'DESCR'; }
+<INITIAL,struct>\s*":"[^:\n;]+      { yytext = yytext.trim(); console.log('Descr = ', yytext); return 'DESCR'; }
 <INITIAL,struct>"-->"             return '-->';
 <struct>"--"        return 'CONCURRENT';
 <<EOF>>           return 'NL';
diff --git a/src/diagrams/state/shapes.js b/src/diagrams/state/shapes.js
index 359404c73..8da33e594 100644
--- a/src/diagrams/state/shapes.js
+++ b/src/diagrams/state/shapes.js
@@ -205,16 +205,15 @@ const _drawLongText = (_text, x, y, g) => {
 
     if (txt.length > 0) {
       const span = textElem.append('tspan');
+      span.text(txt);
       const textBounds = span.node().getBBox();
       textHeight += textBounds.height;
       span.attr('x', x + conf.noteMargin);
-      span.attr('y', y + textHeight + 1.75 * conf.noteMargin);
-      span.text(txt);
-
-      textWidth = Math.max(textBounds.width, textWidth);
+      span.attr('y', y + textHeight + 1.25* conf.noteMargin);
+      // textWidth = Math.max(textBounds.width, textWidth);
     }
   }
-  return { textWidth, textHeight };
+  return { textWidth: textElem.node().getBBox().width, textHeight };
 };
 
 /**
@@ -226,6 +225,7 @@ const _drawLongText = (_text, x, y, g) => {
 
 export const drawNote = (text, g) => {
   g.attr('class', 'note');
+  console.warn('Text of note', text);
   const note = g
     .append('rect')
     .attr('x', 0)
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ export const drawNote = (text, g) => {
   const rectElem = g.append('g');
 
   const { textWidth, textHeight } = _drawLongText(text, 0, 0, rectElem);
-
+  console.warn('Text of note', text, textWidth);
   note.attr('height', textHeight + 2 * conf.noteMargin);
   note.attr('width', textWidth + conf.noteMargin * 2);
 
diff --git a/src/diagrams/state/stateDiagram.spec.js b/src/diagrams/state/stateDiagram.spec.js
index d3e1bf93c..ee3152682 100644
--- a/src/diagrams/state/stateDiagram.spec.js
+++ b/src/diagrams/state/stateDiagram.spec.js
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ describe('state diagram, ', function() {
       parser.yy = stateDb;
     });
 
-    fit('super simple', function() {
+    it('super simple', function() {
       const str = `
       stateDiagram
         [*] --> State1
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ describe('state diagram, ', function() {
         scale 350 width
         [*] --> State1
         State1 --> [*]
-        State1 : this is a string
+        State1 : this is a string with - in it
         State1 : this is another string
 
         State1 --> State2
@@ -71,7 +71,16 @@ describe('state diagram, ', function() {
     it('description after second state', function() {
       const str = `stateDiagram\n
         scale 350 width
-        [*] --> State1 : This is the description
+        [*] --> State1 : This is the description with - in it
+        State1 --> [*]
+      `;
+
+      parser.parse(str);
+    });
+    it('shall handle descriptions inkluding minus signs', function() {
+      const str = `stateDiagram\n
+        scale 350 width
+        [*] --> State1 : This is the description +-!
         State1 --> [*]
       `;