diff --git a/src/components/views/rooms/BasicMessageComposer.tsx b/src/components/views/rooms/BasicMessageComposer.tsx
index e84d8bb9c0..09f43fc9a4 100644
--- a/src/components/views/rooms/BasicMessageComposer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/rooms/BasicMessageComposer.tsx
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ export default class BasicMessageEditor extends React.Component<IProps, IState>
                 // because we'll replace the whole range with an emoji,
                 // so move the start forward to the start of the emoticon.
                 // Take + 1 because index is reported without the possible preceding space.
-                range.moveStart(emoticonMatch.index + moveStart);
+                range.moveStartForwards(emoticonMatch.index + moveStart);
                 // and move end backwards so that we don't replace the trailing space/newline
                 range.moveEndBackwards(moveEnd);
 
diff --git a/src/editor/range.ts b/src/editor/range.ts
index b390ad1d5e..313a1b9ac8 100644
--- a/src/editor/range.ts
+++ b/src/editor/range.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ export default class Range {
         this._end = bIsLarger ? positionB : positionA;
     }
 
-    moveStart(delta: number) {
+    moveStartForwards(delta: number) {
         this._start = this._start.forwardsWhile(this.model, () => {
             delta -= 1;
             return delta >= 0;