diff --git a/src/frontend/inpcom.c b/src/frontend/inpcom.c
index 8be8a1841..275d9902a 100644
--- a/src/frontend/inpcom.c
+++ b/src/frontend/inpcom.c
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ Author: 1985 Wayne A. Christopher
 #include "subckt.h"
 #include "../misc/util.h" /* ngdirname() */
 #include "ngspice/stringutil.h"
+#include "ngspice/stringskip.h"
 #include "ngspice/wordlist.h"
 
 #ifdef XSPICE
@@ -140,14 +141,6 @@ static void inp_add_series_resistor(struct line *deck);
 static void subckt_params_to_param(struct line *deck);
 static void inp_fix_temper_in_param(struct line *deck);
 
-static inline char *depreciated_skip_back_non_ws(char *d) { while (d[-1] && !isspace_c(d[-1])) d--; return d; }
-static inline char *depreciated_skip_back_ws(char *d)     { while (isspace_c(d[-1]))           d--; return d; }
-static inline char *skip_non_ws(char *d)      { while (*d && !isspace_c(*d)) d++; return d; }
-static inline char *skip_ws(char *d)          { while (isspace_c(*d))        d++; return d; }
-
-static inline char *skip_back_non_ws(char *d, char *start) { while (d > start && !isspace_c(d[-1])) d--; return d; }
-static inline char *skip_back_ws(char *d, char *start)     { while (d > start && isspace_c(d[-1])) d--; return d; }
-
 static char *inp_spawn_brace(char *s);
 
 static char *inp_pathresolve(const char *name);
diff --git a/src/include/ngspice/stringskip.h b/src/include/ngspice/stringskip.h
index 5733e0603..ee553d043 100644
--- a/src/include/ngspice/stringskip.h
+++ b/src/include/ngspice/stringskip.h
@@ -4,4 +4,10 @@
 static inline char *skip_non_ws(char *s)  { while (*s && !isspace_c(*s)) s++; return s; }
 static inline char *skip_ws(char *s)      { while (       isspace_c(*s)) s++; return s; }
 
+static inline char *depreciated_skip_back_non_ws(char *s) { while (s[-1] && !isspace_c(s[-1])) s--; return s; }
+static inline char *depreciated_skip_back_ws(char *s)     { while (isspace_c(s[-1]))           s--; return s; }
+
+static inline char *skip_back_non_ws(char *s, char *start) { while (s > start && !isspace_c(s[-1])) s--; return s; }
+static inline char *skip_back_ws(char *s, char *start)     { while (s > start && isspace_c(s[-1])) s--; return s; }
+
 #endif