diff --git a/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim b/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim
index ce1fa0a..2145df5 100644
--- a/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim
+++ b/src/hwylterm/bbansi.nim
@@ -341,12 +341,18 @@ func `&`*(x: BbString, y: BbString): Bbstring =
   for span in y.spans:
     result.spans.add shift(span, i)
 
-func add*(x: var Bbstring, y :Bbstring) =
+func add*(x: var Bbstring, y: Bbstring) =
   let i = x.plain.len
   x.plain.add y.plain
   for span in y.spans:
     x.spans.add shift(span, i)
 
+# TODO: squash "like" spans for efficiency?
+func add*(x: var Bbstring, y: string) =
+  let i = x.plain.len
+  x.plain.add y
+  x.spans.add BbSpan(styles: @[], slice:[i, i + y.len - 1 ])
+
 func bbEscape*(s: string): string {.inline.} =
   s.replace("[", "[[").replace("\\", "\\\\")
 
diff --git a/tests/tbbansi.nim b/tests/tbbansi.nim
index 7c4e276..74d9a89 100644
--- a/tests/tbbansi.nim
+++ b/tests/tbbansi.nim
@@ -92,5 +92,13 @@ suite "strutils":
     check (bb"[red]red").align(10) == bb"       [red]red"
     check (bb"[red]red").alignLeft(10) == bb"[red]red[/]       "
 
+  test "add":
+    var x = bb("[red]red")
+    x.add bb("[yellow]yellow")
+    check bb"[red]red[/][yellow]yellow[/]" == x
+
+    var y = bb("[red]red")
+    y.add "yellow"
+    check bb"[red]red[/]yellow" == y