diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e953933..9eaaaaa 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 - Performance tuning
 
     - Switched back to using the old default max word search distance of 20
+    - Reduced default max fuzzy edit distance from 3 to 2 to prevent massive
+      slowdown on long words
 
 ## 1.3.2
 
diff --git a/bin/params.ml b/bin/params.ml
index 27023b3..34bf711 100644
--- a/bin/params.ml
+++ b/bin/params.ml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ include Docfd_lib.Params'
 
 let debug = ref false
 
-let default_max_fuzzy_edit_distance = 3
+let default_max_fuzzy_edit_distance = 2
 
 let max_fuzzy_edit_distance = ref default_max_fuzzy_edit_distance
 
diff --git a/profile/main.ml b/profile/main.ml
index 422672a..aa87af6 100644
--- a/profile/main.ml
+++ b/profile/main.ml
@@ -63,8 +63,17 @@ let main _env =
   let index = Index.of_lines (List.to_seq lines) in
   let fuzzy_max_edit_distance = 3 in
   let search_phrase = Search_phrase.make ~fuzzy_max_edit_distance ~phrase:"vestibul rutru" in
-  bench ~name:"Spelll.of_string" ~cycle:10 (fun () ->
-      Spelll.of_string ~limit:3 "Pellentesque");
+  let s = "PellentesquePellentesque" in
+  for len=1 to 20 do
+    let limit = 2 in
+    bench ~name:(Fmt.str "Spelll.of_string, limit: %d, len %2d:" limit len) ~cycle:10 (fun () ->
+        Spelll.of_string ~limit:2 (String.sub s 0 len))
+  done;
+  for len=1 to 20 do
+    let limit = 1 in
+    bench ~name:(Fmt.str "Spelll.of_string, limit: %d, len %2d:" limit len) ~cycle:10 (fun () ->
+        Spelll.of_string ~limit:1 (String.sub s 0 len))
+  done;
   bench ~name:"Index.search" ~cycle:1000 (fun () ->
       Index.search search_phrase index);
   ()