diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol.cpp
index daeb658b55..e4aaea589a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol.cpp
@@ -955,6 +955,7 @@ uint32_t getSpecialCE(const UCollator *coll, uint32_t CE, collIterate *source, U
             if (CE == UCOL_NOT_FOUND && firstFound != UCOL_NOT_FOUND) {
               CE = firstFound;
               firstFound = UCOL_NOT_FOUND;
+              source->pos--; /* spit out yet another char, which led us in this contraction */
             }
           }
           break;
@@ -986,6 +987,7 @@ uint32_t getSpecialCE(const UCollator *coll, uint32_t CE, collIterate *source, U
           if(firstFound != UCOL_NOT_FOUND) {
             CE = firstFound;
             firstFound = UCOL_NOT_FOUND;
+            source->pos--; /* spit out yet another char, which led us in this contraction */
             break;
           }
         } else if(isContraction(CE)) { /* fix for the bug. Other places need to be checked */
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.cpp
index 2071bc1108..e5619695bb 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.cpp
@@ -360,3 +360,36 @@ uint32_t uprv_cnttab_getCE(CntTable *table, uint32_t element, int32_t position,
       return tbl->CEs[position];
     }
 }
+
+uint32_t uprv_cnttab_changeContraction(CntTable *table, uint32_t element, UChar codePoint, uint32_t newCE, UBool forward, UErrorCode *status) {
+
+    element &= 0xFFFFFF;
+    ContractionTable *tbl = NULL;
+
+    if(U_FAILURE(*status)) {
+        return 0;
+    }
+
+    if((element == 0xFFFFFF) || (tbl = table->elements[element]) == NULL) {
+      return 0;
+    }
+
+    if(forward == FALSE) {
+        tbl = tbl->reversed;
+    }
+
+    int32_t position = 0;
+
+    while(codePoint > tbl->codePoints[position]) {
+      position++;
+      if(position > tbl->position) {
+        return UCOL_NOT_FOUND;
+      }
+    }
+    if (codePoint == tbl->codePoints[position]) {
+      tbl->CEs[position] = newCE;
+      return element;
+    } else {
+      return UCOL_NOT_FOUND;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.h b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.h
index a9a47fdde1..92ae26116a 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_cnt.h
@@ -71,5 +71,6 @@ uint32_t uprv_cnttab_changeLastCE(CntTable *table, uint32_t element, uint32_t va
 uint32_t uprv_cnttab_findCP(CntTable *table, uint32_t element, UChar codePoint, UBool forward, UErrorCode *status);
 
 uint32_t uprv_cnttab_getCE(CntTable *table, uint32_t element, int32_t position, UBool forward, UErrorCode *status);
+uint32_t uprv_cnttab_changeContraction(CntTable *table, uint32_t element, UChar codePoint, uint32_t newCE, UBool forward, UErrorCode *status);
 
 #endif
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_elm.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_elm.cpp
index 4c1bd662ea..51693f7327 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_elm.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/ucol_elm.cpp
@@ -405,7 +405,13 @@ uint32_t uprv_uca_processContraction(CntTable *contractions, UCAElements *elemen
 
     /* end of recursion */
     if(element->cSize == 1) {
-      return element->mapCE;
+      if(isContraction(existingCE)) {
+        uprv_cnttab_changeContraction(contractions, existingCE, 0, element->mapCE, forward, status);
+        uprv_cnttab_changeContraction(contractions, existingCE, 0xFFFF, element->mapCE, forward, status);
+        return existingCE;
+      } else {
+        return element->mapCE; /*can't do just that. existingCe might be a contraction, meaning that we need to do another step */
+      }
     }
 
     /* this recursion currently feeds on the only element we have... We will have to copy it in order to accomodate */