diff --git a/src/Options.js b/src/Options.js
index 00dcf4f67..a3febb45b 100644
--- a/src/Options.js
+++ b/src/Options.js
@@ -14,41 +14,82 @@
  * as the parentStyle and parentSize of the new options class, so parent
  * handling is taken care of automatically.
  */
-function Options(style, size, color, parentStyle, parentSize) {
-    this.style = style;
-    this.color = color;
-    this.size = size;
+function Options(data) {
+    this.style = data.style;
+    this.color = data.color;
+    this.size = data.size;
+    this.phantom = data.phantom;
 
-    if (parentStyle === undefined) {
-        parentStyle = style;
+    if (data.parentStyle === undefined) {
+        this.parentStyle = data.style;
+    } else {
+        this.parentStyle = data.parentStyle;
     }
-    this.parentStyle = parentStyle;
 
-    if (parentSize === undefined) {
-        parentSize = size;
+    if (data.parentSize === undefined) {
+        this.parentSize = data.size;
+    } else {
+        this.parentSize = data.parentSize;
     }
-    this.parentSize = parentSize;
 }
 
+/**
+ * Returns a new options object with the same properties as "this".  Properties
+ * from "extension" will be copied to the new options object.
+ */
+Options.prototype.extend = function(extension) {
+    var data = {
+        style: this.style,
+        size: this.size,
+        color: this.color,
+        parentStyle: this.style,
+        parentSize: this.size,
+        phantom: this.phantom
+    };
+
+    for (var key in extension) {
+        if (extension.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
+            data[key] = extension[key];
+        }
+    }
+
+    return new Options(data);
+};
+
 /**
  * Create a new options object with the given style.
  */
 Options.prototype.withStyle = function(style) {
-    return new Options(style, this.size, this.color, this.style, this.size);
+    return this.extend({
+        style: style
+    });
 };
 
 /**
  * Create a new options object with the given size.
  */
 Options.prototype.withSize = function(size) {
-    return new Options(this.style, size, this.color, this.style, this.size);
+    return this.extend({
+        size: size
+    });
 };
 
 /**
  * Create a new options object with the given color.
  */
 Options.prototype.withColor = function(color) {
-    return new Options(this.style, this.size, color, this.style, this.size);
+    return this.extend({
+        color: color
+    });
+};
+
+/**
+ * Create a new options object with "phantom" set to true.
+ */
+Options.prototype.withPhantom = function() {
+    return this.extend({
+        phantom: true
+    });
 };
 
 /**
@@ -56,8 +97,7 @@ Options.prototype.withColor = function(color) {
  * used so that parent style and size changes are handled correctly.
  */
 Options.prototype.reset = function() {
-    return new Options(
-        this.style, this.size, this.color, this.style, this.size);
+    return this.extend({});
 };
 
 /**
@@ -79,7 +119,11 @@ var colorMap = {
  * `colorMap`.
  */
 Options.prototype.getColor = function() {
-    return colorMap[this.color] || this.color;
+    if (this.phantom) {
+        return "transparent";
+    } else {
+        return colorMap[this.color] || this.color;
+    }
 };
 
 module.exports = Options;
diff --git a/src/buildHTML.js b/src/buildHTML.js
index 0512767b7..8a4fe9e4a 100644
--- a/src/buildHTML.js
+++ b/src/buildHTML.js
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ var groupTypes = {
         // things at the end of a \color group. Note that we don't use the same
         // logic for ordgroups (which count as ords).
         var prevAtom = prev;
-        while (prevAtom && prevAtom.type == "color") {
+        while (prevAtom && prevAtom.type === "color") {
             var atoms = prevAtom.value.value;
             prevAtom = atoms[atoms.length - 1];
         }
@@ -433,15 +433,15 @@ var groupTypes = {
             // Rule 15d
             var axisHeight = fontMetrics.metrics.axisHeight;
 
-            if ((numShift - numer.depth) - (axisHeight + 0.5 * ruleWidth)
-                    < clearance) {
+            if ((numShift - numer.depth) - (axisHeight + 0.5 * ruleWidth) <
+                    clearance) {
                 numShift +=
                     clearance - ((numShift - numer.depth) -
                                  (axisHeight + 0.5 * ruleWidth));
             }
 
-            if ((axisHeight - 0.5 * ruleWidth) - (denom.height - denomShift)
-                    < clearance) {
+            if ((axisHeight - 0.5 * ruleWidth) - (denom.height - denomShift) <
+                    clearance) {
                 denomShift +=
                     clearance - ((axisHeight - 0.5 * ruleWidth) -
                                  (denom.height - denomShift));
@@ -1065,6 +1065,18 @@ var groupTypes = {
         } else {
             return accentWrap;
         }
+    },
+
+    phantom: function(group, options, prev) {
+        var elements = buildExpression(
+            group.value.value,
+            options.withPhantom(),
+            prev
+        );
+
+        // \phantom isn't supposed to affect the elements it contains.
+        // See "color" for more details.
+        return new buildCommon.makeFragment(elements);
     }
 };
 
@@ -1121,7 +1133,10 @@ var buildHTML = function(tree, settings) {
     }
 
     // Setup the default options
-    var options = new Options(startStyle, "size5", "");
+    var options = new Options({
+        style: startStyle,
+        size: "size5"
+    });
 
     // Build the expression contained in the tree
     var expression = buildExpression(tree, options);
diff --git a/src/buildMathML.js b/src/buildMathML.js
index 3fb89b047..129b26d60 100644
--- a/src/buildMathML.js
+++ b/src/buildMathML.js
@@ -374,6 +374,11 @@ var groupTypes = {
         node.setAttribute("width", "0px");
 
         return node;
+    },
+
+    phantom: function(group, options, prev) {
+        var inner = buildExpression(group.value.value);
+        return new mathMLTree.MathNode("mphantom", inner);
     }
 };
 
diff --git a/src/functions.js b/src/functions.js
index 1c3e9b0de..aa8b8eb53 100644
--- a/src/functions.js
+++ b/src/functions.js
@@ -164,6 +164,23 @@ var functions = {
                 type: "katex"
             };
         }
+    },
+
+    "\\phantom": {
+        numArgs: 1,
+        handler: function(func, body) {
+            var inner;
+            if (body.type === "ordgroup") {
+                inner = body.value;
+            } else {
+                inner = [body];
+            }
+
+            return {
+                type: "phantom",
+                value: inner
+            };
+        }
     }
 };
 
diff --git a/test/katex-spec.js b/test/katex-spec.js
index 6aab20d7d..2042db983 100644
--- a/test/katex-spec.js
+++ b/test/katex-spec.js
@@ -569,7 +569,6 @@ describe("An over parser", function() {
 
 describe("A sizing parser", function() {
     var sizeExpression = "\\Huge{x}\\small{x}";
-    var nestedSizeExpression = "\\Huge{\\small{x}}";
 
     it("should not fail", function() {
         expect(sizeExpression).toParse();
@@ -1146,6 +1145,45 @@ describe("An accent builder", function() {
     });
 });
 
+describe("A phantom parser", function() {
+    it("should not fail", function() {
+        expect("\\phantom{x}").toParse();
+        expect("\\phantom{x^2}").toParse();
+        expect("\\phantom{x}^2").toParse();
+        expect("\\phantom x").toParse();
+    });
+
+    it("should build a phantom node", function() {
+        var parse = getParsed("\\phantom{x}")[0];
+
+        expect(parse.type).toMatch("phantom");
+        expect(parse.value.value).toBeDefined();
+    });
+});
+
+describe("A phantom builder", function() {
+    it("should not fail", function() {
+        expect("\\phantom{x}").toBuild();
+        expect("\\phantom{x^2}").toBuild();
+        expect("\\phantom{x}^2").toBuild();
+        expect("\\phantom x").toBuild();
+    });
+
+    it("should make the children transparent", function() {
+        var children = getBuilt("\\phantom{x+1}")[0].children;
+        expect(children[0].style.color).toBe("transparent");
+        expect(children[1].style.color).toBe("transparent");
+        expect(children[2].style.color).toBe("transparent");
+    });
+
+    it("should make all descendants transparent", function() {
+        var children = getBuilt("\\phantom{x+\\blue{1}}")[0].children;
+        expect(children[0].style.color).toBe("transparent");
+        expect(children[1].style.color).toBe("transparent");
+        expect(children[2].children[0].style.color).toBe("transparent");
+    });
+});
+
 describe("A parser error", function () {
     it("should report the position of an error", function () {
         try {
@@ -1218,4 +1256,9 @@ describe("A MathML builder", function() {
         var textop = getMathML("\\sin").children[0].children[0];
         expect(textop.children[0].type).toEqual("mi");
     });
+
+    it("should generate a <mphantom> node for \\phantom", function() {
+        var phantom = getMathML("\\phantom{x}").children[0].children[0];
+        expect(phantom.children[0].type).toEqual("mphantom");
+    });
 });
diff --git a/test/screenshotter/images/Phantom-firefox.png b/test/screenshotter/images/Phantom-firefox.png
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..363cd2463
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/screenshotter/images/Phantom-firefox.png differ
diff --git a/test/screenshotter/ss_data.json b/test/screenshotter/ss_data.json
index 54cac70ae..62ff0cb68 100644
--- a/test/screenshotter/ss_data.json
+++ b/test/screenshotter/ss_data.json
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
     "NullDelimiterInteraction": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m=a \\bigl. + 2 \\quad \\left. + a \\right)",
     "OpLimits": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m={\\sin_2^2 \\lim_2^2 \\int_2^2 \\sum_2^2}{\\displaystyle \\lim_2^2 \\int_2^2 \\intop_2^2 \\sum_2^2}",
     "Overline": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m=\\overline{x}\\overline{x}\\overline{x^{x^{x^x}}} \\blue{\\overline{y}}",
+    "Phantom": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m=\\dfrac{1+\\phantom{x^{\\blue{2}}} = x}{1+x^{\\blue{2}} = x}",
     "PrimeSpacing": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m=f'+f_2'+f^{f'}",
     "RlapBug": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m=\\frac{\\rlap{x}}{2}",
     "Rule": "http://localhost:7936/test/screenshotter/test.html?m=\\rule{1em}{0.5em}\\rule{1ex}{2ex}\\rule{1em}{1ex}\\rule{1em}{0.431ex}",