diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/components/EditableChipList/index.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/components/EditableChipList/index.vue
index aadc8ff03b..ea7af394ce 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/components/EditableChipList/index.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/components/EditableChipList/index.vue
@@ -167,9 +167,9 @@
   import ClickableRegion from '../ClickableRegion/index.vue';
   import ValidationMessage from '../ValidationMessage/index.vue';
   import { qtiEditorStrings } from '../../qtiEditorStrings';
-  import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
   import TipTapEditor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor';
   import EditorImageProcessor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/services/imageService';
+  import { hasRichTextContent } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
   // Holds a message line open without text
   const NO_BREAK_SPACE = '\u00a0';
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/composables/useInlineChoiceInteraction.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/composables/useInlineChoiceInteraction.js
index 7dd01f1227..477e600e28 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/composables/useInlineChoiceInteraction.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/composables/useInlineChoiceInteraction.js
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 import { computed, readonly } from 'vue';
 import { inlineChoiceInteractionDescriptor } from '../interactions/inlineChoice/Descriptor';
 import { getDropdowns } from '../interactions/inlineChoice/parse';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../utils/richText';
 import { useInteraction } from './useInteraction';
+import { hasRichTextContent } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /**
  * Composable for the inline choice interaction editor.
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/Editor.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/Editor.vue
index 174e989a49..bae7fd89db 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/Editor.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/Editor.vue
@@ -248,9 +248,12 @@
   import ClickableRegion from '../../components/ClickableRegion/index.vue';
   import ShuffledResponsePool from '../../components/ShuffledResponsePool/index.vue';
   import EditableChipList from '../../components/EditableChipList/index.vue';
-  import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
+  import { resolveAssociateChoices } from './parse';
   import TipTapEditor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor';
-  import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+  import {
+    hasRichTextContent,
+    richTextComparisonKey,
+  } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
   import EditorImageProcessor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/services/imageService';
 
   /** Which card currently holds the open TipTap editor. */
@@ -531,27 +534,21 @@
         props.mode === 'edit' ? correctPairsLabel$() : correctAnswersLabel$(),
       );
 
-      // Blank pair members are left out: every blank choice keys the same, so
-      // keeping them would mark an unwritten option in the pool as correct.
-      const pairedTexts = computed(
-        () =>
-          new Set(
-            flatten(state.value.pairs)
-              .filter(choice => hasRichTextContent(choice.content))
-              .map(choice => richTextComparisonKey(choice.content)),
-          ),
-      );
-
-      // One option per association the learner can make: the emitted XML folds
-      // choices holding the same answer into a single option whose match-max is
-      // the number of occurrences walked here.
-      const poolChoices = computed(() =>
-        [...flatten(state.value.pairs), ...state.value.distractors].map(choice => ({
-          content: choice.content,
-          isCorrect:
-            props.showAnswers && pairedTexts.value.has(richTextComparisonKey(choice.content)),
-        })),
-      );
+      // Kolibri's pool shows each choice of the interaction once.
+      const poolChoices = computed(() => {
+        const { pairs, pool } = resolveAssociateChoices(state.value.pairs, state.value.distractors);
+        // Blank pair members are left out: every blank choice keys the same, so
+        // keeping them would mark an unwritten option in the pool as correct.
+        const pairedKeys = new Set(
+          flatten(pairs)
+            .map(({ key }) => key)
+            .filter(Boolean),
+        );
+        return pool.map(({ content, key }) => ({
+          content,
+          isCorrect: props.showAnswers && pairedKeys.has(key),
+        }));
+      });
 
       return {
         EditorImageProcessor,
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/__tests__/Editor.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/__tests__/Editor.spec.js
index fc5e8dfdb9..c85198d4c9 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/__tests__/Editor.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/__tests__/Editor.spec.js
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   mockInteractionBlockWithDecl as blockWithDecl,
 } from '../../../utils/testingFixtures';
 import { QuestionType } from '../../../constants';
+import { parseXML } from '../../../serialization/xml';
 import { qtiEditorStrings as tr } from '../../../qtiEditorStrings';
 
 jest.mock('shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor');
@@ -60,6 +61,37 @@ const SHARED_CHOICE_DECL_XML = `<qti-response-declaration identifier="RESPONSE"
   </qti-correct-response>
 </qti-response-declaration>`;
 
+const PAIRED_DISTRACTOR_XML = `<qti-associate-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
+  <qti-prompt><p>Match each character to his adversary.</p></qti-prompt>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_aaa11111" match-max="1">Antonio</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_bbb22222" match-max="1">Prospero</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_ddd44444" match-max="1">Antonio</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+</qti-associate-interaction>`;
+
+const BLANK_CHOICES_XML = `<qti-associate-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
+  <qti-prompt><p>Match each character to his adversary.</p></qti-prompt>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_aaa11111" match-max="2"></qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_bbb22222" match-max="1">Prospero</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_ccc33333" match-max="1">Capulet</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_ddd44444" match-max="1"></qti-simple-associable-choice>
+</qti-associate-interaction>`;
+
+const THRICE_SHARED_CHOICE_XML = `<qti-associate-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
+  <qti-prompt><p>Match each character to his adversary.</p></qti-prompt>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_aaa11111" match-max="3">Antonio</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_bbb22222" match-max="1">Prospero</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_ccc33333" match-max="1">Capulet</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_ddd44444" match-max="1">Montague</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+</qti-associate-interaction>`;
+
+const THRICE_SHARED_CHOICE_DECL_XML = `<qti-response-declaration identifier="RESPONSE" cardinality="multiple" base-type="pair">
+  <qti-correct-response>
+    <qti-value>choice_aaa11111 choice_bbb22222</qti-value>
+    <qti-value>choice_aaa11111 choice_ccc33333</qti-value>
+    <qti-value>choice_aaa11111 choice_ddd44444</qti-value>
+  </qti-correct-response>
+</qti-response-declaration>`;
+
 // The mock TipTapEditor renders a <textarea> only for the card currently open.
 const openTextarea = () => screen.queryAllByRole('textbox').find(el => el.tagName === 'TEXTAREA');
 
@@ -376,13 +408,49 @@ describe('AssociateEditor', () => {
       }
     });
 
-    it('repeats an option in the pool once per association it allows', () => {
+    it('lists an option shared by several associations once in the pool', () => {
       renderEditor({
         ...viewProps,
         interaction: blockWithDecl(SHARED_CHOICE_XML, SHARED_CHOICE_DECL_XML),
       });
-      expect(screen.getAllByText('Antonio')).toHaveLength(2);
-      expect(screen.getAllByText('Prospero')).toHaveLength(1);
+      const pool = screen.getByRole('list', { name: tr.$tr('responsePoolLabel') });
+      expect(within(pool).getAllByText('Antonio')).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(within(pool).getAllByText('Prospero')).toHaveLength(1);
+    });
+
+    it('lists a distractor of the same content as a paired option once in the pool', () => {
+      renderEditor({
+        ...viewProps,
+        interaction: blockWithDecl(PAIRED_DISTRACTOR_XML, ONE_PAIR_DECL_XML),
+      });
+      const pool = screen.getByRole('list', { name: tr.$tr('responsePoolLabel') });
+      expect(within(pool).getAllByText('Antonio')).toHaveLength(1);
+    });
+
+    it('lists a blank option once per identifier in the pool', () => {
+      renderEditor({
+        ...viewProps,
+        interaction: blockWithDecl(BLANK_CHOICES_XML, SHARED_CHOICE_DECL_XML),
+      });
+      const pool = screen.getByRole('list', { name: tr.$tr('responsePoolLabel') });
+      expect(within(pool).getAllByRole('listitem')).toHaveLength(4);
+    });
+
+    it('lists as many pool options as the saved XML holds once shared options are cleared', async () => {
+      const user = userEvent.setup();
+      const { emitted, updateProps } = renderEditor({
+        interaction: blockWithDecl(THRICE_SHARED_CHOICE_XML, THRICE_SHARED_CHOICE_DECL_XML),
+      });
+      for (const number of [2, 3]) {
+        await user.click(button(editPairItem(number, 1)));
+        await user.clear(openTextarea());
+      }
+      await updateProps({ mode: 'view' });
+      const savedChoices = parseXML(latestBodyXml(emitted)).querySelectorAll(
+        'qti-simple-associable-choice',
+      );
+      const pool = screen.getByRole('list', { name: tr.$tr('responsePoolLabel') });
+      expect(within(pool).getAllByRole('listitem')).toHaveLength(savedChoices.length);
     });
 
     it('keeps the pool order across a round trip through edit mode', async () => {
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/parse.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/parse.js
index 21d782ea8b..c2f6370882 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/parse.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/parse.js
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import { QTIDeclaration } from '../../serialization/qti/QTIDeclaration';
 import { buildXmlNode, getContentHTML, getPromptHTML, parseXML } from '../../serialization/xml';
 import CorrectResponse from '../../serialization/qti/declarations/correctResponse';
 import { generateRandomSlug } from '../../utils/generateRandomSlug';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
 import { RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER } from '../../constants';
 import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
@@ -116,28 +115,26 @@ export function parseAssociateInteraction(bodyXml, responseDeclarations) {
 }
 
 /**
- * Serialize AssociateState → { bodyXml, responseDeclarations }.
- *
- * @param {AssociateState} state
- * @param {string} _questionType - unused (associate has one question type); kept for API parity
- * @param {object} declarationSchema - { baseType: string, cardinality: string }
- * @returns {{ bodyXml: string, responseDeclarations: string[] }}
+ * @param {AssociateChoice[][]} pairs
+ * @param {AssociateChoice[]} distractors
+ * @returns {{
+ *   pairs: Array<Array<AssociateChoice & { key: string }>>,
+ *   pool: Array<AssociateChoice & { key: string, matchMax: number }>,
+ * }}
  */
-export function buildAssociateInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSchema) {
-  const { responseIdentifier = RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER, prompt, pairs = [], distractors = [] } = state;
-
+export function resolveAssociateChoices(pairs, distractors) {
   const idByContent = new Map();
   const contentById = new Map();
 
   // Preserves the id a choice already carries unless it is already bound to
   // different content.
   function resolveChoice({ id, content }) {
-    const key = hasRichTextContent(content) ? richTextComparisonKey(content) : '';
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
 
     // Blank choices are never deduped — a freshly added pair holds two of them,
     // and collapsing them would leave the pair unable to round-trip.
     if (key && idByContent.has(key)) {
-      return { id: idByContent.get(key), content };
+      return { id: idByContent.get(key), content, key };
     }
 
     const boundKey = contentById.get(id);
@@ -147,7 +144,7 @@ export function buildAssociateInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSc
     if (key) {
       idByContent.set(key, resolvedId);
     }
-    return { id: resolvedId, content };
+    return { id: resolvedId, content, key };
   }
 
   const resolvedPairs = pairs.map(pair => pair.map(resolveChoice));
@@ -155,20 +152,36 @@ export function buildAssociateInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSc
 
   // Every appearance of a choice is one pairing it may take part in.
   const pool = new Map();
-  for (const { id, content } of [...flatten(resolvedPairs), ...resolvedDistractors]) {
+  for (const { id, content, key } of [...flatten(resolvedPairs), ...resolvedDistractors]) {
     const entry = pool.get(id);
     if (entry) {
       entry.matchMax += 1;
     } else {
-      pool.set(id, { id, content, matchMax: 1 });
+      pool.set(id, { id, content, key, matchMax: 1 });
     }
   }
 
+  return { pairs: resolvedPairs, pool: [...pool.values()] };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Serialize AssociateState → { bodyXml, responseDeclarations }.
+ *
+ * @param {AssociateState} state
+ * @param {string} _questionType - unused (associate has one question type); kept for API parity
+ * @param {object} declarationSchema - { baseType: string, cardinality: string }
+ * @returns {{ bodyXml: string, responseDeclarations: string[] }}
+ */
+export function buildAssociateInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSchema) {
+  const { responseIdentifier = RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER, prompt, pairs = [], distractors = [] } = state;
+
+  const { pairs: resolvedPairs, pool } = resolveAssociateChoices(pairs, distractors);
+
   const children = [];
   if (prompt) {
     children.push(buildXmlNode({ tag: 'qti-prompt', innerHTML: prompt }));
   }
-  for (const { id, content, matchMax } of pool.values()) {
+  for (const { id, content, matchMax } of pool) {
     children.push(
       buildXmlNode({
         tag: 'qti-simple-associable-choice',
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/validation.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/validation.js
index de35e5a22c..9db7d941a5 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/validation.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/associate/validation.js
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 import flatten from 'lodash/flatten';
 import { ValidationError } from '../../constants';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
 import { duplicateDistractorErrors } from '../../utils/distractors';
-import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+import {
+  hasRichTextContent,
+  richTextComparisonKey,
+} from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /**
  * Validate AssociateState → ValidationError[].
@@ -23,13 +25,10 @@ export function validateAssociateInteraction(state) {
     errors.push({ code: ValidationError.PROMPT_REQUIRED });
   }
 
-  // Every rule below asks the same two questions of a choice, and answering
-  // either one parses its HTML — so each choice is read once, here.
-  const read = ({ id, content }) => ({
-    id,
-    filled: hasRichTextContent(content),
-    key: richTextComparisonKey(content),
-  });
+  const read = ({ id, content }) => {
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
+    return { id, filled: Boolean(key), key };
+  };
   const readPairs = pairs.map(pair => pair.map(read));
   const readDistractors = distractors.map(read);
   const allChoices = [...flatten(readPairs), ...readDistractors];
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/choice/validation.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/choice/validation.js
index e95154b237..6cb6bbe692 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/choice/validation.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/choice/validation.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { QuestionType, ValidationError } from '../../constants';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
-import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+import {
+  hasRichTextContent,
+  richTextComparisonKey,
+} from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /**
  * Validate ChoiceState → ValidationError[].
@@ -23,12 +25,12 @@ export function validateChoiceInteraction(state, questionType) {
   const duplicateIds = new Set();
 
   for (const choice of choices) {
-    if (!hasRichTextContent(choice.content)) {
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(choice.content);
+    if (!key) {
       errors.push({ code: ValidationError.EMPTY_CHOICE_CONTENT, id: choice.id });
       continue;
     }
 
-    const key = richTextComparisonKey(choice.content);
     if (firstSeenId.has(key)) {
       duplicateIds.add(firstSeenId.get(key));
       duplicateIds.add(choice.id);
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/parse.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/parse.js
index ad5df9e584..08385dbfb4 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/parse.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/parse.js
@@ -10,10 +10,12 @@ import {
   wrapInlineRuns,
 } from '../../serialization/xml';
 import { generateRandomSlug } from '../../utils/generateRandomSlug';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
 import { RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER, SENTINEL_MARKER } from '../../constants';
 import { _extractCorrectPairIds } from '../associate/parse';
-import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+import {
+  hasRichTextContent,
+  richTextComparisonKey,
+} from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 const serializer = new XMLSerializer();
 
@@ -185,8 +187,8 @@ export function buildGapMatchInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSch
   for (const gapEl of gapEls) {
     const gapId = claimExisting(gapEl.getAttribute('identifier'), 'gap');
     const content = getContentHTML(gapEl);
-    if (hasRichTextContent(content)) {
-      const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
+    if (key) {
       const ownAnswerId = gapEl.getAttribute(CORRECT_ATTR);
       const answerId =
         idByAnswerKey.get(key) ||
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/validation.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/validation.js
index 05f9813ee2..e7c849374e 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/validation.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/gapMatch/validation.js
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { ValidationError } from '../../constants';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
 import { duplicateDistractorErrors } from '../../utils/distractors';
 import { getGaps } from './parse';
 import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
@@ -11,11 +10,10 @@ export function validateGapMatchInteraction(state) {
     return [{ code: ValidationError.NO_CORRECT_ANSWER }];
   }
 
-  const read = (id, content) => ({
-    id,
-    filled: hasRichTextContent(content),
-    key: richTextComparisonKey(content),
-  });
+  const read = (id, content) => {
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
+    return { id, filled: Boolean(key), key };
+  };
   const readAnswers = gaps.map(({ id, answer }) => read(id, answer));
   const readDistractors = distractors.map(({ id, content }) => read(id, content));
 
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/inlineChoice/Editor.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/inlineChoice/Editor.vue
index 51af96f727..6153787ca5 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/inlineChoice/Editor.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/inlineChoice/Editor.vue
@@ -141,12 +141,12 @@
   import ValidationMessage from '../../components/ValidationMessage/index.vue';
   import ClickableRegion from '../../components/ClickableRegion/index.vue';
   import AnswerSettings from '../choice/components/AnswerSettings/index.vue';
-  import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
   import { generateRandomSlug } from '../../utils/generateRandomSlug';
   import { useInlineChoicePassage } from './useInlineChoicePassage';
   import InlineChoiceOptions from './components/InlineChoiceOptions/index.vue';
   import TipTapEditor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor';
   import EditorImageProcessor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/services/imageService';
+  import { hasRichTextContent } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
   export default {
     name: 'InlineChoiceEditor',
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/Editor.vue b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/Editor.vue
index d663179866..7f3bf55681 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/Editor.vue
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/Editor.vue
@@ -309,9 +309,12 @@
   import ClickableRegion from '../../components/ClickableRegion/index.vue';
   import EditableChipList from '../../components/EditableChipList/index.vue';
   import ShuffledResponsePool from '../../components/ShuffledResponsePool/index.vue';
-  import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
+  import { resolveMatchAnswers } from './parse';
   import TipTapEditor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor';
-  import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+  import {
+    hasRichTextContent,
+    richTextComparisonKey,
+  } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
   import EditorImageProcessor from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/services/imageService';
 
   /** Which card or chip list currently holds the open TipTap editor. */
@@ -663,18 +666,13 @@
 
       const isOnlyRow = computed(() => state.value.rows.length <= 1);
 
-      // One option per association the learner can make: the emitted XML folds
-      // answers holding the same content into a single option whose match-max is
-      // the number of occurrences walked here. Blank answers are left unmarked:
-      // every blank keys the same, so they would mark an unwritten option correct.
+      // Kolibri's pool shows each choice of the response match set once.
       const poolChoices = computed(() => [
-        ...state.value.rows.flatMap(row =>
-          row.matches.map(choice => ({
-            content: choice.content,
-            isCorrect: props.showAnswers && hasRichTextContent(choice.content),
-          })),
-        ),
-        ...state.value.distractors.map(choice => ({ content: choice.content, isCorrect: false })),
+        ...resolveMatchAnswers(state.value.rows).answers.map(({ content, key }) => ({
+          content,
+          isCorrect: props.showAnswers && Boolean(key),
+        })),
+        ...state.value.distractors.map(({ content }) => ({ content, isCorrect: false })),
       ]);
 
       return {
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/__tests__/Editor.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/__tests__/Editor.spec.js
index 423d9b3d7d..1ebbe71224 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/__tests__/Editor.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/__tests__/Editor.spec.js
@@ -77,6 +77,17 @@ const SHARED_ANSWER_DECL_XML = `<qti-response-declaration identifier="RESPONSE"
   </qti-correct-response>
 </qti-response-declaration>`;
 
+const ANSWER_AS_DISTRACTOR_XML = `<qti-match-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
+  <qti-prompt><p>Match each animal to its class.</p></qti-prompt>
+  <qti-simple-match-set>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="row_dog" match-max="1">Dog</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  </qti-simple-match-set>
+  <qti-simple-match-set>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_mammal" match-max="1">Mammal</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_mammal_2" match-max="1">Mammal</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  </qti-simple-match-set>
+</qti-match-interaction>`;
+
 const BLANK_ANSWER_XML = `<qti-match-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
   <qti-prompt><p>Match each animal to its class.</p></qti-prompt>
   <qti-simple-match-set>
@@ -87,6 +98,25 @@ const BLANK_ANSWER_XML = `<qti-match-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
   </qti-simple-match-set>
 </qti-match-interaction>`;
 
+const TWO_BLANK_ANSWERS_XML = `<qti-match-interaction response-identifier="RESPONSE">
+  <qti-prompt><p>Match each animal to its class.</p></qti-prompt>
+  <qti-simple-match-set>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="row_dog" match-max="1">Dog</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="row_cat" match-max="1">Cat</qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  </qti-simple-match-set>
+  <qti-simple-match-set>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_dog" match-max="1"></qti-simple-associable-choice>
+    <qti-simple-associable-choice identifier="choice_cat" match-max="1"></qti-simple-associable-choice>
+  </qti-simple-match-set>
+</qti-match-interaction>`;
+
+const TWO_BLANK_ANSWERS_DECL_XML = `<qti-response-declaration identifier="RESPONSE" cardinality="multiple" base-type="directedPair">
+  <qti-correct-response>
+    <qti-value>row_dog choice_dog</qti-value>
+    <qti-value>row_cat choice_cat</qti-value>
+  </qti-correct-response>
+</qti-response-declaration>`;
+
 // The mock TipTapEditor renders a <textarea> only for the card currently open.
 const openTextareas = () =>
   screen.queryAllByRole('textbox').filter(el => el.tagName === 'TEXTAREA');
@@ -808,14 +838,39 @@ describe('MatchEditor', () => {
     const renderView = (props = {}) => renderEditor({ mode: 'view', ...props });
     const pool = () => screen.getByRole('list', { name: tr.$tr('responsePoolLabel') });
 
-    it('repeats an answer in the pool once per row it serves, and each distractor once', () => {
+    it('lists an answer shared by several rows once in the pool, and each distractor once', () => {
       renderView({
         interaction: blockWithDecl(SHARED_ANSWER_XML, SHARED_ANSWER_DECL_XML),
       });
-      expect(within(pool()).getAllByText('Mammal')).toHaveLength(2);
+      expect(within(pool()).getAllByText('Mammal')).toHaveLength(1);
       expect(within(pool()).getAllByText('Reptile')).toHaveLength(1);
     });
 
+    it('lists a distractor apart from an answer of the same content', () => {
+      renderView({
+        interaction: blockWithDecl(ANSWER_AS_DISTRACTOR_XML, ONE_ROW_DECL_XML),
+      });
+      expect(within(pool()).getAllByText('Mammal')).toHaveLength(2);
+    });
+
+    it('paints the one pool chip of an answer shared by several rows green', () => {
+      const palette = themePalette();
+      renderView({
+        interaction: blockWithDecl(SHARED_ANSWER_XML, SHARED_ANSWER_DECL_XML),
+        showAnswers: true,
+      });
+      const chips = within(pool()).getAllByText('Mammal');
+      expect(chips).toHaveLength(1);
+      expect(chips[0].closest('li')).toHaveStyle({ borderColor: palette.green.v_600 });
+    });
+
+    it('lists each blank answer as its own pool chip', () => {
+      renderView({
+        interaction: blockWithDecl(TWO_BLANK_ANSWERS_XML, TWO_BLANK_ANSWERS_DECL_XML),
+      });
+      expect(within(pool()).getAllByRole('listitem')).toHaveLength(2);
+    });
+
     it('lists every row prompt and no answer when answers are hidden', () => {
       renderView();
       for (const content of ['Dog', 'Eagle', 'Frog']) {
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/parse.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/parse.js
index c498bc8e4a..4e81b80576 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/parse.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/parse.js
@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ import { QTIDeclaration } from '../../serialization/qti/QTIDeclaration';
 import { buildXmlNode, getContentHTML, getPromptHTML, parseXML } from '../../serialization/xml';
 import CorrectResponse from '../../serialization/qti/declarations/correctResponse';
 import { generateRandomSlug } from '../../utils/generateRandomSlug';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
 import { RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER } from '../../constants';
 import { _extractCorrectPairIds, newChoice } from '../associate/parse';
 import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
@@ -124,36 +123,32 @@ export function parseMatchInteraction(bodyXml, responseDeclarations) {
   };
 }
 
-/**
- * Serialize MatchState → { bodyXml, responseDeclarations }.
- *
- * @param {MatchState} state
- * @param {string} _questionType - unused (match has one question type); kept for API parity
- * @param {object} declarationSchema - { baseType: string, cardinality: string }
- * @returns {{ bodyXml: string, responseDeclarations: string[] }}
- */
-export function buildMatchInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSchema) {
-  const { responseIdentifier = RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER, prompt, rows = [], distractors = [] } = state;
-
-  // Ids are unique across both match sets; the first appearance keeps its id.
+// Ids are unique across both match sets; the first appearance keeps its id.
+function idClaimer() {
   const usedIds = new Set();
-  function claim(id, prefix) {
+  return (id, prefix) => {
     const resolved = id && !usedIds.has(id) ? id : generateRandomSlug(prefix);
     usedIds.add(resolved);
     return resolved;
-  }
-
-  // Rows and distractors are never merged, so any repeat of their id is a conflict.
-  const rowIds = rows.map(row => claim(row.id, 'row'));
+  };
+}
 
+/**
+ * @param {MatchRow[]} rows
+ * @param {function(string, string): string} [claim]
+ * @returns {{
+ *   answers: Array<MatchChoice & { key: string, matchMax: number }>,
+ *   answerIds: string[][],
+ * }}
+ */
+export function resolveMatchAnswers(rows, claim = idClaimer()) {
   // Answers of equal content are one choice, serving every row that names it;
   // blanks never are.
   const idByAnswerKey = new Map();
   const answers = new Map();
-  const correctPairs = [];
-  rows.forEach((row, index) => {
-    for (const { id, content } of row.matches) {
-      const key = hasRichTextContent(content) ? richTextComparisonKey(content) : '';
+  const answerIds = rows.map(row =>
+    row.matches.map(({ id, content }) => {
+      const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
       const resolved = (key && idByAnswerKey.get(key)) || claim(id, 'choice');
       if (key) idByAnswerKey.set(key, resolved);
 
@@ -161,11 +156,32 @@ export function buildMatchInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSchema
       if (answer) {
         answer.matchMax += 1;
       } else {
-        answers.set(resolved, { id: resolved, content, matchMax: 1 });
+        answers.set(resolved, { id: resolved, content, key, matchMax: 1 });
       }
-      correctPairs.push([rowIds[index], resolved]);
-    }
-  });
+      return resolved;
+    }),
+  );
+  return { answers: [...answers.values()], answerIds };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Serialize MatchState → { bodyXml, responseDeclarations }.
+ *
+ * @param {MatchState} state
+ * @param {string} _questionType - unused (match has one question type); kept for API parity
+ * @param {object} declarationSchema - { baseType: string, cardinality: string }
+ * @returns {{ bodyXml: string, responseDeclarations: string[] }}
+ */
+export function buildMatchInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSchema) {
+  const { responseIdentifier = RESPONSE_IDENTIFIER, prompt, rows = [], distractors = [] } = state;
+
+  const claim = idClaimer();
+
+  // Rows and distractors are never merged, so any repeat of their id is a conflict.
+  const rowIds = rows.map(row => claim(row.id, 'row'));
+
+  const { answers, answerIds } = resolveMatchAnswers(rows, claim);
+  const correctPairs = answerIds.flatMap((ids, index) => ids.map(id => [rowIds[index], id]));
 
   const distractorChoices = distractors.map(({ id, content }) => ({
     id: claim(id, 'choice'),
@@ -188,7 +204,7 @@ export function buildMatchInteractionXML(state, _questionType, declarationSchema
   });
   const responseSet = buildXmlNode({
     tag: 'qti-simple-match-set',
-    children: [...answers.values(), ...distractorChoices].map(choiceNode),
+    children: [...answers, ...distractorChoices].map(choiceNode),
   });
 
   const children = [];
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/validation.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/validation.js
index a7ac4d0037..57577f2f6a 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/validation.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/match/validation.js
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { ValidationError } from '../../constants';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
 import { duplicateDistractorErrors } from '../../utils/distractors';
-import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+import {
+  hasRichTextContent,
+  richTextComparisonKey,
+} from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /**
  * Validate MatchState → ValidationError[].
@@ -21,13 +23,10 @@ export function validateMatchInteraction(state) {
     errors.push({ code: ValidationError.PROMPT_REQUIRED });
   }
 
-  // Every rule below asks the same two questions of a choice, and answering
-  // either one parses its HTML — so each choice is read once, here.
-  const read = ({ id, content }) => ({
-    id,
-    filled: hasRichTextContent(content),
-    key: richTextComparisonKey(content),
-  });
+  const read = ({ id, content }) => {
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(content);
+    return { id, filled: Boolean(key), key };
+  };
   const readRows = rows.map(row => ({ ...read(row), matches: row.matches.map(read) }));
   const readDistractors = distractors.map(read);
   const readChoices = [...readRows.flatMap(row => row.matches), ...readDistractors];
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/ordering/validation.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/ordering/validation.js
index 4f60436825..66e692a523 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/ordering/validation.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/ordering/validation.js
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import { ValidationError } from '../../constants';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
-import { richTextComparisonKey } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
+import {
+  hasRichTextContent,
+  richTextComparisonKey,
+} from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /**
  * Validate OrderingState → ValidationError[].
@@ -24,12 +26,12 @@ export function validateOrderingInteraction(state) {
   const duplicateIds = new Set();
 
   for (const item of items) {
-    if (!hasRichTextContent(item.content)) {
+    const key = richTextComparisonKey(item.content);
+    if (!key) {
       errors.push({ code: ValidationError.EMPTY_CHOICE_CONTENT, id: item.id });
       continue;
     }
 
-    const key = richTextComparisonKey(item.content);
     if (firstSeenId.has(key)) {
       duplicateIds.add(firstSeenId.get(key));
       duplicateIds.add(item.id);
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/__tests__/validation.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/__tests__/validation.spec.js
index 75ae36a06c..86f82c75d2 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/__tests__/validation.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/__tests__/validation.spec.js
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ describe('validateTextEntryInteraction', () => {
 
     it('returns PROMPT_REQUIRED for a visually-empty &nbsp;-only prompt (entity regression)', () => {
       // The naive /<[^>]*>/g regex leaves the literal text "&nbsp;" which is truthy,
-      // so PROMPT_REQUIRED would silently pass. QTISanitizer.stripTags parses via
+      // so PROMPT_REQUIRED would silently pass. hasRichTextContent parses via
       // DOMParser text/html, which decodes entities and returns actual whitespace.
       const errors = validateTextEntryInteraction(
         { ...VALID_NUMERIC_STATE, prompt: '<p>&nbsp;</p>' },
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/validation.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/validation.js
index 14e30088d6..bd2780baa6 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/validation.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/interactions/textEntry/validation.js
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import { QuestionType, ValidationError } from '../../constants';
 import { parseXsdDouble } from '../../utils/math';
 import { readLocaleNumber } from '../../utils/localeNumbers';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../../utils/richText';
+import { hasRichTextContent } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /**
  * Validate TextEntryState → ValidationError[].
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/__tests__/hints.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/__tests__/hints.spec.js
index aa2212bf29..7f32b4aeb8 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/__tests__/hints.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/__tests__/hints.spec.js
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ describe('hintHasContent', () => {
   });
 
   // A hint can be entirely an image or a formula, which hasRichTextContent covers in
-  // full — see utils/__tests__/richText.spec.js.
+  // full — see TipTapEditor/__tests__/hasRichTextContent.spec.js.
   it('is true for a hint that is nothing but an image', () => {
     expect(hintHasContent({ content: '<p><img src="abc123.png"/></p>' })).toBe(true);
   });
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/hints.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/hints.js
index b9f43d529e..50d20efddb 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/hints.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/hints.js
@@ -15,7 +15,6 @@
  */
 
 import { generateRandomSlug } from '../utils/generateRandomSlug';
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../utils/richText';
 import {
   attributesOf,
   contentChildrenOf,
@@ -23,6 +22,7 @@ import {
   hasNonNamespaceAttributes,
   isChildElement,
 } from './xml';
+import { hasRichTextContent } from 'shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 /** The catalog this editor writes hints into. */
 export const HINT_CATALOG_ID = 'kolibri-hints';
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/qti/QTISanitizer.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/qti/QTISanitizer.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 5f66ff7c9e..0000000000
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/qti/QTISanitizer.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,130 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * QTISanitizer — input validation and sanitization at every data entry boundary.
- *
- * @module serialization/qti/QTISanitizer
- */
-
-import { parseXML } from '../xml';
-
-// Valid QTI 3.0 base-type values — https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/qti/v3p0/impl/#h.wq4e8lbs4wa9
-const VALID_BASE_TYPES = new Set([
-  'boolean',
-  'directedPair',
-  'duration',
-  'file',
-  'float',
-  'identifier',
-  'integer',
-  'pair',
-  'point',
-  'string',
-  'uri',
-]);
-
-// Valid QTI 3.0 cardinality values — https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/qti/v3p0/impl/#h.wq4e8lbs4wa9
-const VALID_CARDINALITIES = new Set(['single', 'multiple', 'ordered', 'record']);
-
-// QTI identifier pattern — Unicode-aware NCName (\w is ASCII-only in JS)
-const IDENTIFIER_RE = /^[\p{L}_][\p{L}\p{N}_.-]*$/u;
-
-export class QTISanitizer {
-  /**
-   * Validate a QTI base-type string.
-   * Throws if the value is not in the spec-defined set.
-   *
-   * @param {string} baseType
-   * @returns {string} The same value if valid
-   * @throws {Error}
-   */
-  static validateBaseType(baseType) {
-    if (baseType === null || baseType === undefined) return baseType;
-    if (!VALID_BASE_TYPES.has(baseType)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `QTISanitizer: invalid base-type "${baseType}". ` +
-          `Must be one of: ${[...VALID_BASE_TYPES].join(', ')}.`,
-      );
-    }
-    return baseType;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Validate a QTI cardinality string.
-   * Throws if the value is not in the spec-defined set.
-   *
-   * @param {string} cardinality
-   * @returns {string} The same value if valid
-   * @throws {Error}
-   */
-  static validateCardinality(cardinality) {
-    if (!VALID_CARDINALITIES.has(cardinality)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `QTISanitizer: invalid cardinality "${cardinality}". ` +
-          `Must be one of: ${[...VALID_CARDINALITIES].join(', ')}.`,
-      );
-    }
-    return cardinality;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Validate a QTI identifier (NCName-based).
-   * Throws if the value does not match the QTI identifier pattern.
-   *
-   * @param {string} identifier
-   * @returns {string} The same value if valid
-   * @throws {Error}
-   */
-  static validateIdentifier(identifier) {
-    if (!identifier || !IDENTIFIER_RE.test(identifier)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `QTISanitizer: invalid QTI identifier "${identifier}". ` +
-          `Must start with a letter or underscore and contain only word characters, hyphens, or dots.`,
-      );
-    }
-    return identifier;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Strip HTML tags from a string value.
-   *
-   * @param {string} value - Raw string (identifier, float string, etc.)
-   * @returns {string} Value with all HTML tags stripped and text content extracted
-   */
-  static stripTags(value) {
-    if (typeof value !== 'string') return String(value ?? '');
-    // Fast path: with no `<` or `&` there is nothing to strip or decode.
-    if (!value.includes('<') && !value.includes('&')) return value;
-    const doc = parseXML(value, 'text/html');
-    // Remove script and style elements entirely — we do NOT want their text content.
-    doc.querySelectorAll('script, style').forEach(el => el.remove());
-    return doc.body.textContent ?? '';
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Parse a string as a float and validate it is a finite number.
-   * Throws if the value is not a valid finite number.
-   *
-   * @param {string|number} value
-   * @param {string} [fieldName] - Label for error messages
-   * @returns {number}
-   * @throws {Error}
-   */
-  static parseFloat(value, fieldName = 'value') {
-    const n = Number(value);
-    if (!isFinite(n)) {
-      throw new Error(`QTISanitizer: "${fieldName}" must be a finite number, got "${value}".`);
-    }
-    return n;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Sanitize an array of string values (e.g. correctResponse, defaultValue).
-   * Trims whitespace and strips HTML tags from each entry.
-   * Removes entries that are empty after sanitization.
-   *
-   * @param {string[]} values
-   * @returns {string[]}
-   */
-  static sanitizeValues(values) {
-    return values.map(v => QTISanitizer.stripTags(String(v).trim())).filter(v => v.length > 0);
-  }
-}
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/qti/__tests__/QTISanitizer.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/qti/__tests__/QTISanitizer.spec.js
deleted file mode 100644
index ccb797803a..0000000000
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/serialization/qti/__tests__/QTISanitizer.spec.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,177 +0,0 @@
-import { QTISanitizer } from '../QTISanitizer.js';
-
-describe('QTISanitizer.validateBaseType', () => {
-  it.each([
-    'boolean',
-    'float',
-    'identifier',
-    'integer',
-    'string',
-    'point',
-    'pair',
-    'directedPair',
-    'duration',
-    'file',
-    'uri',
-  ])('accepts valid base-type "%s"', bt => expect(QTISanitizer.validateBaseType(bt)).toBe(bt));
-
-  it('throws for an unknown base-type', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateBaseType('foo')).toThrow('invalid base-type');
-  });
-
-  it('throws for an empty string', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateBaseType('')).toThrow();
-  });
-
-  it('returns null/undefined unchanged (base-type is optional on outcome declarations)', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateBaseType(null)).toBeNull();
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateBaseType(undefined)).toBeUndefined();
-  });
-});
-
-describe('QTISanitizer.validateCardinality', () => {
-  it.each(['single', 'multiple', 'ordered', 'record'])('accepts valid cardinality "%s"', c =>
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateCardinality(c)).toBe(c),
-  );
-
-  it('throws for an unknown cardinality', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateCardinality('many')).toThrow('invalid cardinality');
-  });
-
-  it('throws for an empty string', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateCardinality('')).toThrow();
-  });
-});
-
-describe('QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier', () => {
-  it('accepts a plain ASCII identifier', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('RESPONSE')).toBe('RESPONSE');
-  });
-
-  it('accepts identifiers starting with underscore', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('_choice1')).toBe('_choice1');
-  });
-
-  it('accepts identifiers with hyphens and dots', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('choice-A.1')).toBe('choice-A.1');
-  });
-
-  it('accepts non-ASCII Unicode identifiers (i18n item banks)', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('RÉSPONSE')).toBe('RÉSPONSE');
-  });
-
-  it('throws for an identifier starting with a digit', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('1choice')).toThrow('invalid QTI identifier');
-  });
-
-  it('throws for an identifier containing spaces', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('choice A')).toThrow();
-  });
-
-  it('throws for an empty string', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('')).toThrow();
-  });
-
-  it('throws for an identifier that is just a number', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.validateIdentifier('123')).toThrow();
-  });
-});
-
-describe('QTISanitizer.stripTags — XSS defence', () => {
-  it('passes through a plain string unchanged', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('ChoiceA')).toBe('ChoiceA');
-  });
-
-  it('strips a simple <script> tag — script body is fully removed, not extracted', () => {
-    // We do NOT want the script text — the element is removed entirely.
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('<script>alert(1)</script>')).toBe('');
-  });
-
-  it('strips HTML bold tags and keeps text content', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('<b>bold</b>')).toBe('bold');
-  });
-
-  it('strips nested tags', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('<div><span>inner</span></div>')).toBe('inner');
-  });
-
-  it('handles img onerror XSS payload', () => {
-    const payload = '<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>';
-    // After stripping tags, no html remains — textContent of <img> is empty
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags(payload)).toBe('');
-  });
-
-  it('preserves non-ASCII text (i18n)', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('选择甲')).toBe('选择甲');
-  });
-
-  it('preserves numbers', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('3.14')).toBe('3.14');
-  });
-
-  it('preserves ampersand entity text (not HTML)', () => {
-    // A raw `&` without a tag — not HTML injection, passes through
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('A & B')).toBe('A & B');
-  });
-
-  it('decodes entities in a fragment without tags', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags('&nbsp;A &amp; B')).toBe(' A & B');
-  });
-
-  it('handles non-string input by coercing to string', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags(42)).toBe('42');
-    expect(QTISanitizer.stripTags(null)).toBe('');
-  });
-});
-
-describe('QTISanitizer.parseFloat', () => {
-  it('parses a string float', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.parseFloat('3.14')).toBe(3.14);
-  });
-
-  it('parses a string integer', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.parseFloat('0')).toBe(0);
-  });
-
-  it('parses a negative number', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.parseFloat('-0.5')).toBe(-0.5);
-  });
-
-  it('passes through a number', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.parseFloat(1)).toBe(1);
-  });
-
-  it('throws for NaN input', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.parseFloat('not-a-number')).toThrow('finite number');
-  });
-
-  it('throws for Infinity', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.parseFloat(Infinity)).toThrow();
-  });
-
-  it('includes the field name in the error', () => {
-    expect(() => QTISanitizer.parseFloat('x', 'mapped-value')).toThrow('mapped-value');
-  });
-});
-
-describe('QTISanitizer.sanitizeValues', () => {
-  it('trims whitespace from each entry', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.sanitizeValues(['  A  ', 'B'])).toEqual(['A', 'B']);
-  });
-
-  it('strips HTML tags from each entry', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.sanitizeValues(['<b>Choice</b>', 'B'])).toEqual(['Choice', 'B']);
-  });
-
-  it('removes entries that are empty after sanitization', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.sanitizeValues(['<img src=x>', 'Valid'])).toEqual(['Valid']);
-  });
-
-  it('returns an empty array for an all-empty input', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.sanitizeValues(['<br/>', '  '])).toEqual([]);
-  });
-
-  it('preserves i18n values', () => {
-    expect(QTISanitizer.sanitizeValues(['选择甲', 'اختيار'])).toEqual(['选择甲', 'اختيار']);
-  });
-});
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/utils/richText.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/utils/richText.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 9ead9a85fe..0000000000
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/utils/richText.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,51 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * What the item's rich text editors hold, and whether any of it says anything.
- *
- * Every TipTap editor in this editor — a prompt, a choice, an ordering item, a hint —
- * holds an HTML fragment, and such a fragment is empty in more ways than an empty
- * string: a `<p></p>` the author opened and never typed into, a paragraph holding
- * nothing but `&nbsp;`.
- *
- * It can also say something without saying it in words. An image, or a formula from the
- * editor's own formula button, is the whole content — a converted legacy question often
- * asks its question entirely in a picture. Reading only the text would call those empty,
- * dropping a hint on the next save and failing a question that has nothing wrong with it.
- */
-
-import { QTISanitizer } from '../serialization/qti/QTISanitizer';
-import { parseXML } from '../serialization/xml';
-
-/**
- * Markup that is content in its own right, with no text to find.
- *
- * A formula is authored as the `data-latex` span the editor's Math node round-trips, and
- * only becomes MathML when the item is published — so both forms count, the item being
- * read here having come from either side of that.
- */
-const EMBEDDED_MEDIA = 'img, math, svg, span[data-latex]';
-
-/**
- * The fragment's visible text.
- *
- * Parsed rather than pattern-stripped, so entities are decoded — `&nbsp;` is whitespace
- * the trim removes, not the literal six characters a `/<[^>]*>/g` strip leaves behind.
- *
- * @param {string} content
- * @returns {string}
- */
-function toText(content) {
-  return QTISanitizer.stripTags(content ?? '').trim();
-}
-
-/**
- * Whether a rich text fragment holds anything worth keeping.
- *
- * @param {string} content - HTML fragment from a TipTap editor
- * @returns {boolean}
- */
-export function hasRichTextContent(content) {
-  return (
-    toText(content).length > 0 ||
-    Boolean(parseXML(content ?? '', 'text/html').querySelector(EMBEDDED_MEDIA))
-  );
-}
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey.js
index e23c2cfed2..f04d0c9f02 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey.js
@@ -14,6 +14,47 @@ const UNPARSED_MEDIA = 'svg, math';
 // Marks that change what text says.
 const SCRIPTS = ['superscript', 'subscript'];
 
+/**
+ * Markup that is content in its own right, with no text to find.
+ *
+ * A formula is authored as the `data-latex` span the editor's Math node round-trips, and
+ * only becomes MathML when the item is published — so both forms count, the item being
+ * read here having come from either side of that.
+ */
+const EMBEDDED_MEDIA = 'img, math, svg, span[data-latex]';
+
+function parseHTML(html) {
+  return new DOMParser().parseFromString(html ?? '', 'text/html');
+}
+
+function toText(document) {
+  // Remove script and style elements entirely — we do NOT want their text content.
+  document.querySelectorAll('script, style').forEach(el => el.remove());
+  return document.body.textContent.trim();
+}
+
+function hasContent(document) {
+  return Boolean(document.querySelector(EMBEDDED_MEDIA)) || toText(document).length > 0;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Whether a rich text fragment holds anything worth keeping.
+ *
+ * A fragment is empty in more ways than an empty string: a `<p></p>` the author opened
+ * and never typed into, a paragraph holding nothing but `&nbsp;`.
+ *
+ * It can also say something without saying it in words. An image, or a formula from the
+ * editor's own formula button, is the whole content — a converted legacy question often
+ * asks its question entirely in a picture. Reading only the text would call those empty,
+ * dropping a hint on the next save and failing a question that has nothing wrong with it.
+ *
+ * @param {string} content - HTML fragment from a TipTap editor
+ * @returns {boolean}
+ */
+export function hasRichTextContent(content) {
+  return hasContent(parseHTML(content));
+}
+
 /**
  * A key two fragments can be compared on to tell whether they say the same thing.
  *
@@ -22,10 +63,11 @@ const SCRIPTS = ['superscript', 'subscript'];
  * re-render keys the same, unless it has SVG or MathML, which TipTap drops.
  *
  * @param {string} html - HTML fragment from a TipTap editor
- * @returns {string}
+ * @returns {string} '' for a fragment without rich text content
  */
 export function richTextComparisonKey(html) {
-  const document = new DOMParser().parseFromString(html ?? '', 'text/html');
+  const document = parseHTML(html);
+  if (!hasContent(document)) return '';
   // A formula stands in for each, so parsing keeps its place. HTML parsing turns NUL
   // into U+FFFD, so no stored formula has this LaTeX.
   const unparsed = new Map();
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/comparisonKey.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/comparisonKey.spec.js
index fbf0aa4e3d..119be0ba99 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/comparisonKey.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/comparisonKey.spec.js
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@ import { useEditor } from '../TipTapEditor/composables/useEditor';
 import { richTextComparisonKey } from '../TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 describe('richTextComparisonKey', () => {
+  it.each(['', null, '<p></p>', '<p>&nbsp;</p>', '<p><span></span></p>'])(
+    'is empty for %s, which holds no rich text content',
+    blank => {
+      expect(richTextComparisonKey(blank)).toBe('');
+    },
+  );
+
   it.each([
     ['bold', '<p>x<strong>2</strong></p>'],
     ['italic', '<p>x<em>2</em></p>'],
diff --git a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/utils/__tests__/richText.spec.js b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/hasRichTextContent.spec.js
similarity index 89%
rename from contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/utils/__tests__/richText.spec.js
rename to contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/hasRichTextContent.spec.js
index 31ef06600e..5ec8766996 100644
--- a/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/QTIEditor/utils/__tests__/richText.spec.js
+++ b/contentcuration/contentcuration/frontend/shared/views/TipTapEditor/__tests__/hasRichTextContent.spec.js
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { hasRichTextContent } from '../richText';
+import { hasRichTextContent } from '../TipTapEditor/utils/comparisonKey';
 
 describe('hasRichTextContent', () => {
   it.each([
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ describe('hasRichTextContent', () => {
     // The literal six characters a pattern strip leaves behind are not content.
     ['<p>&nbsp;</p>', false],
     ['&nbsp; ', false],
+    ['<p><script>alert(1)</script></p>', false],
+    ['<p><style>p { color: red; }</style></p>', false],
     // A prompt, choice or hint can be entirely an image or a formula — from a converted
     // legacy question, or from the editor's own image and formula buttons.
     ['<p><img src="abc123.png"/></p>', true],