diff --git a/lib/strings/strings.ww b/lib/strings/strings.ww
index a2c4f513..75052521 100644
--- a/lib/strings/strings.ww
+++ b/lib/strings/strings.ww
@@ -52,17 +52,18 @@ export fn fromutf8_unsafe(in: []u8) str = {
 	return r;
 };
 
-// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison.
-// ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
-export fn compare(a: str, b: str) i32 = {
+// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison. Return is
+// a sign (neg/zero/pos), not an index, so it tracks Hare's `int`
+// rather than the str-index i32 (#8). ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
+export fn compare(a: str, b: str) int = {
 	let n: i32 = a.len;
 	if (b.len < n) { n = b.len; };
 	let i: i32 = 0;
 	for (i < n) {
-		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: i32) - (b[i]: i32); };
+		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: int) - (b[i]: int); };
 		i += 1;
 	};
-	return a.len - b.len;
+	return (a.len: int) - (b.len: int);
 };
 
 // dup — allocate a fresh copy of `s`. Caller releases with
diff --git a/lib/strings/stringstest.ww b/lib/strings/stringstest.ww
index 25708a0c..782f7447 100644
--- a/lib/strings/stringstest.ww
+++ b/lib/strings/stringstest.ww
@@ -584,6 +584,7 @@ fn streq(a: str, b: str) bool = {
 	if (strings.compare("AB", "ABC")  >= 0) { fail(); };
 	if (strings.compare("BCD", "ABC") <= 0) { fail(); };
 	if (strings.compare("ABC", "abc") >= 0) { fail(); };
+	if (strings.compare("ABC", "こんにちは") >= 0) { fail(); };
 };
 
 // ---- sub / bytesub ----------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
index 90f427ec..f6540983 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/w6c/main.combined.ww
@@ -1889,17 +1889,18 @@ export fn fromutf8_unsafe(in: []u8) str = {
 	return r;
 };
 
-// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison.
-// ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
-export fn compare(a: str, b: str) i32 = {
+// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison. Return is
+// a sign (neg/zero/pos), not an index, so it tracks Hare's `int`
+// rather than the str-index i32 (#8). ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
+export fn compare(a: str, b: str) int = {
 	let n: i32 = a.len;
 	if (b.len < n) { n = b.len; };
 	let i: i32 = 0;
 	for (i < n) {
-		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: i32) - (b[i]: i32); };
+		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: int) - (b[i]: int); };
 		i += 1;
 	};
-	return a.len - b.len;
+	return (a.len: int) - (b.len: int);
 };
 
 // dup — allocate a fresh copy of `s`. Caller releases with
diff --git a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
index 14250020..820ca563 100644
--- a/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/cmd/wwdump/main.combined.ww
@@ -1889,17 +1889,18 @@ export fn fromutf8_unsafe(in: []u8) str = {
 	return r;
 };
 
-// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison.
-// ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
-export fn compare(a: str, b: str) i32 = {
+// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison. Return is
+// a sign (neg/zero/pos), not an index, so it tracks Hare's `int`
+// rather than the str-index i32 (#8). ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
+export fn compare(a: str, b: str) int = {
 	let n: i32 = a.len;
 	if (b.len < n) { n = b.len; };
 	let i: i32 = 0;
 	for (i < n) {
-		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: i32) - (b[i]: i32); };
+		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: int) - (b[i]: int); };
 		i += 1;
 	};
-	return a.len - b.len;
+	return (a.len: int) - (b.len: int);
 };
 
 // dup — allocate a fresh copy of `s`. Caller releases with
diff --git a/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww b/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww
index 781ed442..d6e21a4d 100644
--- a/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww
+++ b/selfhost/test/smoke.combined.ww
@@ -1780,17 +1780,18 @@ export fn fromutf8_unsafe(in: []u8) str = {
 	return r;
 };
 
-// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison.
-// ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
-export fn compare(a: str, b: str) i32 = {
+// compare — three-way bytewise codepoint-order comparison. Return is
+// a sign (neg/zero/pos), not an index, so it tracks Hare's `int`
+// rather than the str-index i32 (#8). ref/hare/strings/compare.ha:12.
+export fn compare(a: str, b: str) int = {
 	let n: i32 = a.len;
 	if (b.len < n) { n = b.len; };
 	let i: i32 = 0;
 	for (i < n) {
-		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: i32) - (b[i]: i32); };
+		if (a[i] != b[i]) { return (a[i]: int) - (b[i]: int); };
 		i += 1;
 	};
-	return a.len - b.len;
+	return (a.len: int) - (b.len: int);
 };
 
 // dup — allocate a fresh copy of `s`. Caller releases with