diff --git a/lisp/ChangeLog b/lisp/ChangeLog
index 2f8c9c034..e2a698e5e 100755
--- a/lisp/ChangeLog
+++ b/lisp/ChangeLog
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 
 	* org.el (org-mode-map): Define new key `C-c C-*': convert a plain
 	list to a subtree, preserving the structure of the list.
+	(org-set-emph-re): Make the last element optional in the regexp.
+	This regexp now matches an emphasized string at the end of a line.
 
 	* org-list.el (org-list-goto-true-beginning)
 	(org-list-make-subtree, org-list-make-subtrees): New functions.
diff --git a/lisp/org.el b/lisp/org.el
index 02c2b5c17..762208938 100644
--- a/lisp/org.el
+++ b/lisp/org.el
@@ -2724,7 +2724,7 @@ org-leve-* faces."
 		    "[^" border "]"
 		    "\\)"
 		    "\\3\\)"
-		    "\\([" post "]\\|$\\)"))
+		    "\\([" post "]\\|$\\)?"))
       (setq org-verbatim-re
 	    (concat "\\([" pre "]\\|^\\)"
 		    "\\("
@@ -2736,7 +2736,7 @@ org-leve-* faces."
 		    "[^" border "]"
 		    "\\)"
 		    "\\3\\)"
-		    "\\([" post  "]\\|$\\)")))))
+		    "\\([" post  "]\\|$\\)?")))))
 
 (defcustom org-emphasis-regexp-components
   '(" \t('\"{" "- \t.,:!?;'\")}" " \t\r\n,\"'" "." 1)