diff --git a/include/nlohmann/detail/input/string_scan.hpp b/include/nlohmann/detail/input/string_scan.hpp
index 8564746ce..fd4e03097 100644
--- a/include/nlohmann/detail/input/string_scan.hpp
+++ b/include/nlohmann/detail/input/string_scan.hpp
@@ -58,11 +58,10 @@ inline std::uint64_t swar_string_special(std::uint64_t v) noexcept
     constexpr std::uint64_t high = 0x8080808080808080ull;
     const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'  (0x22)
     const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\' (0x5C)
-    const std::uint64_t has_quote     = (q - ones) & ~q & high;
-    const std::uint64_t has_backslash = (b - ones) & ~b & high;
-    const std::uint64_t has_control   = (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high; // < 0x20
-    const std::uint64_t has_non_ascii = v & high;                                // >= 0x80
-    return has_quote | has_backslash | has_control | has_non_ascii;
+    // The usual test for a zero byte is (x - ones) & ~x & high. The `& ~x`
+    // only removes bytes from 0x80, and `v & high` flags those anyway, so it
+    // can be dropped. Clang finds this reduction itself; GCC does not.
+    return ((q - ones) | (b - ones) | (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) | v) & high;
 }
 
 // return the index of the first is_string_special() byte in [data, data+n), or
@@ -143,11 +142,8 @@ inline std::size_t find_ascii_copyable_run(const unsigned char* data, std::size_
         const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'  (0x22)
         const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\' (0x5C)
         const std::uint64_t d = v ^ 0x7F7F7F7F7F7F7F7Full; // DEL  (0x7F)
-        const std::uint64_t stop = ((q - ones) & ~q & high)   // == '"'
-                                   | ((b - ones) & ~b & high)  // == '\\'
-                                   | ((d - ones) & ~d & high)  // == 0x7F
-                                   | ((v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high) // < 0x20
-                                   | (v & high);               // >= 0x80
+        // (see swar_string_special(): the bytes from 0x80 are stops anyway)
+        const std::uint64_t stop = ((q - ones) | (b - ones) | (d - ones) | (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) | v) & high;
         if (stop != 0)
         {
             // the lowest flagged byte is the first one to stop at (see
diff --git a/include/nlohmann/detail/output/serializer.hpp b/include/nlohmann/detail/output/serializer.hpp
index 235e7bafd..d3cf93d3b 100644
--- a/include/nlohmann/detail/output/serializer.hpp
+++ b/include/nlohmann/detail/output/serializer.hpp
@@ -724,10 +724,8 @@ class serializer
         constexpr std::uint64_t ones = 0x0101010101010101ull;
         const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'
         const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\'
-        return (((q - ones) & ~q) | ((b - ones) & ~b)         // == '"', == '\\'
-                | ((v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v)          // < 0x20
-                | v | (v + ones))                             // >= 0x7F
-               & 0x8080808080808080ull;
+        // (see swar_string_special(): the bytes from 0x80 are flagged anyway)
+        return ((q - ones) | (b - ones) | (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) | v | (v + ones)) & 0x8080808080808080ull;
     }
 
     template<typename WordType>
diff --git a/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp b/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
index b5801e12a..3725c084a 100644
--- a/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
+++ b/single_include/nlohmann/json.hpp
@@ -12537,11 +12537,10 @@ inline std::uint64_t swar_string_special(std::uint64_t v) noexcept
     constexpr std::uint64_t high = 0x8080808080808080ull;
     const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'  (0x22)
     const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\' (0x5C)
-    const std::uint64_t has_quote     = (q - ones) & ~q & high;
-    const std::uint64_t has_backslash = (b - ones) & ~b & high;
-    const std::uint64_t has_control   = (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high; // < 0x20
-    const std::uint64_t has_non_ascii = v & high;                                // >= 0x80
-    return has_quote | has_backslash | has_control | has_non_ascii;
+    // The usual test for a zero byte is (x - ones) & ~x & high. The `& ~x`
+    // only removes bytes from 0x80, and `v & high` flags those anyway, so it
+    // can be dropped. Clang finds this reduction itself; GCC does not.
+    return ((q - ones) | (b - ones) | (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) | v) & high;
 }
 
 // return the index of the first is_string_special() byte in [data, data+n), or
@@ -12622,11 +12621,8 @@ inline std::size_t find_ascii_copyable_run(const unsigned char* data, std::size_
         const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'  (0x22)
         const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\' (0x5C)
         const std::uint64_t d = v ^ 0x7F7F7F7F7F7F7F7Full; // DEL  (0x7F)
-        const std::uint64_t stop = ((q - ones) & ~q & high)   // == '"'
-                                   | ((b - ones) & ~b & high)  // == '\\'
-                                   | ((d - ones) & ~d & high)  // == 0x7F
-                                   | ((v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v & high) // < 0x20
-                                   | (v & high);               // >= 0x80
+        // (see swar_string_special(): the bytes from 0x80 are stops anyway)
+        const std::uint64_t stop = ((q - ones) | (b - ones) | (d - ones) | (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) | v) & high;
         if (stop != 0)
         {
             // the lowest flagged byte is the first one to stop at (see
@@ -37015,10 +37011,8 @@ class serializer
         constexpr std::uint64_t ones = 0x0101010101010101ull;
         const std::uint64_t q = v ^ 0x2222222222222222ull; // '"'
         const std::uint64_t b = v ^ 0x5C5C5C5C5C5C5C5Cull; // '\\'
-        return (((q - ones) & ~q) | ((b - ones) & ~b)         // == '"', == '\\'
-                | ((v - 0x2020202020202020ull) & ~v)          // < 0x20
-                | v | (v + ones))                             // >= 0x7F
-               & 0x8080808080808080ull;
+        // (see swar_string_special(): the bytes from 0x80 are flagged anyway)
+        return ((q - ones) | (b - ones) | (v - 0x2020202020202020ull) | v | (v + ones)) & 0x8080808080808080ull;
     }
 
     template<typename WordType>