diff --git a/msgfmt b/msgfmt
index f1f546c..651348b 100755
--- a/msgfmt
+++ b/msgfmt
@@ -93,8 +93,10 @@ awk -vid="$id" -vurl_root="$url_root" -vcref_errlog="$cref_errlog" '
     # reference definitions (footnotes)
     s#\n\[\([0-9]\+\)\]#</p><p id="ref-\1">&#g;
 
-    # references in text
-    s|\[\([^]]\+\)\]\[\([0-9]\+\)\]|<a href="#ref-\2">\1</a>\[\2\]|g
+    # references in text (note that references that enclose text as a hyperlink
+    # must not start with a number, otherwise they will be considered to be a
+    # reference number)
+    s|\[\([^0-9][^]]\+\)\]\[\([0-9]\+\)\]|<a href="#ref-\2">\1</a>\[\2\]|g
     s|\[\([0-9]\+\)\]|<sup><a href="#ref-\1">&</a></sup>|g
 
     # paragraphs