diff --git a/cpp/src/lex.cpp b/cpp/src/lex.cpp
index d8551a8..46f42c6 100644
--- a/cpp/src/lex.cpp
+++ b/cpp/src/lex.cpp
@@ -390,6 +390,11 @@ namespace lex
 
 	bool breaks_word(const tokenise_state& state, std::string_view str)
 	{
+		if(str.starts_with(" const"))
+		{
+			// don't break on a space if its immediately followed by const.
+			return false;
+		}
 		if(state.in_integer_literal() && str.starts_with("."))
 		{
 			return false;
diff --git a/cpp/src/semal.cpp b/cpp/src/semal.cpp
index 3f146fe..d1c1dfd 100644
--- a/cpp/src/semal.cpp
+++ b/cpp/src/semal.cpp
@@ -45,20 +45,29 @@ namespace semal
 	{
 		type ret = type::undefined();
 		std::string cur_type = "";
-		auto check_const = [&cur_type, &ret, &type_name](){if(type_name == "const"){ret.qualifiers = static_cast<type_qualifier>(static_cast<int>(ret.qualifiers) | qualifier_const);}};
 		for(std::size_t i = 0; i < type_name.size(); i++)
 		{
-			char c = type_name[i];
-			if(c == '&')
+			if(std::string_view(type_name.data() + i).starts_with(" const"))
 			{
-				check_const();
-				ret = get_type_from_name(cur_type).pointer_to();
-				cur_type = "";
+				if(ret.is_undefined())
+				{
+					ret = get_type_from_name(cur_type);
+				}
+				ret.qualifiers = (type_qualifier)((int)ret.qualifiers | qualifier_const);
+				i += sizeof(" const") - 2;
+				continue;
 			}
-			else if(c == ' ')
+			char c = type_name[i];
+			if(c == '&')
 			{
-				check_const();
-				ret = get_type_from_name(cur_type);
+				if(ret.is_undefined())
+				{
+					ret = get_type_from_name(cur_type).pointer_to();
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					ret = ret.pointer_to();
+				}
 				cur_type = "";
 			}
 			else
@@ -68,17 +77,6 @@ namespace semal
 		}
 		if(cur_type.size())
 		{
-			std::string without_qualifiers = cur_type;
-			auto iter = without_qualifiers.find("const");
-			if(iter != std::string::npos)
-			{
-				without_qualifiers.erase(iter, sizeof("const") - 1); // -1 as sizeof includes null terminator
-			}
-			type_qualifier quals = iter != std::string::npos ? qualifier_const : qualifier_none;
-			if(!ret.is_undefined())
-			{
-				ret.qualifiers = quals;
-			}
 			if(ret.is_undefined())
 			{
 				// try a struct.
@@ -86,7 +84,7 @@ namespace semal
 				{
 					if(cur_type == struct_name)
 					{
-						ret = type::from_struct(structdata.ty, quals);
+						ret = type::from_struct(structdata.ty);
 						break;
 					}
 				}
@@ -98,7 +96,7 @@ namespace semal
 				{
 					if(cur_type == primitive_type_names[i])
 					{
-						ret = type::from_primitive(static_cast<primitive_type>(i), quals);
+						ret = type::from_primitive(static_cast<primitive_type>(i));
 						break;
 					}
 				}
@@ -550,6 +548,7 @@ namespace semal
 		switch(payload.op.t)
 		{
 			case lex::type::operator_equals:
+				d.assert_that(!lhs.is_const(), std::format("lhs of assignment is const: \"{}\"", lhs.name()));
 				d.assert_that(lhs == rhs, std::format("cannot assign from type \"{}\" to a type \"{}\"", lhs.name(), rhs.name()));
 				return rhs;
 			break;
@@ -701,6 +700,7 @@ namespace semal
 
 		const auto& ty = d.state.get_type_from_name(payload.type_name);
 		d.assert_that(!ty.is_undefined(), std::format("undefined type \"{}\"", payload.type_name));
+		d.assert_that(payload.type_name == ty.name(), std::format("parse-type-from-string error. input string: \"{}\". output type.name(): \"{}\"", payload.type_name, ty.name()));
 		d.state.register_local_variable
 		({
 			.ty = ty,
@@ -711,7 +711,7 @@ namespace semal
 		if(payload.initialiser.has_value())
 		{
 			type expr_ty = expression(d, *payload.initialiser.value());
-			d.assert_that(expr_ty == ty, std::format("initialiser of variable \"{}\" is of type \"{}\", which does not match the variable's type of \"{}\". perhaps you forgot to insert a cast?", payload.var_name, expr_ty.name(), ty.name()));
+			d.assert_that(expr_ty.without_qualifiers() == ty.without_qualifiers(), std::format("initialiser of variable \"{}\" is of type \"{}\", which does not match the variable's type of \"{}\". perhaps you forgot to insert a cast?", payload.var_name, expr_ty.name(), ty.name()));
 		}
 		return ty;
 	}
diff --git a/cpp/src/type.cpp b/cpp/src/type.cpp
index cff0576..f02d6da 100644
--- a/cpp/src/type.cpp
+++ b/cpp/src/type.cpp
@@ -146,6 +146,11 @@ bool type::is_void() const
 		&& !this->is_pointer();
 }
 
+bool type::is_const() const
+{
+	return this->qualifiers & qualifier_const;
+}
+
 primitive_type type::as_primitive() const
 {
 	diag::assert_that(this->is_primitive(), error_code::ice, "attempt to resolve non-primitive type \"{}\" as a primitive", this->name());
@@ -181,10 +186,6 @@ std::string type::name() const
 	}
 	else
 	{
-		if(qualstr.size() && qualstr.front() == ' ')
-		{
-			qualstr.erase(qualstr.begin());
-		}
 		ret = std::format("{}&{}", std::get<util::box<type>>(this->ty)->name(), qualstr);
 	}
 
@@ -207,6 +208,13 @@ type type::pointer_to(type_qualifier quals) const
 	};
 }
 
+type type::without_qualifiers() const
+{
+	type ret = *this;
+	ret.qualifiers = qualifier_none;
+	return ret;
+}
+
 /*static*/type type::undefined()
 {
 	return
diff --git a/cpp/src/type.hpp b/cpp/src/type.hpp
index b1e6bf6..a8efa4b 100644
--- a/cpp/src/type.hpp
+++ b/cpp/src/type.hpp
@@ -93,6 +93,8 @@ struct type
 	bool is_floating_point_type() const;
 	bool is_void() const;
 
+	bool is_const() const;
+
 	primitive_type as_primitive() const;
 	struct_type as_struct() const;
 
@@ -100,6 +102,7 @@ struct type
 
 	type dereference() const;
 	type pointer_to(type_qualifier quals = qualifier_none) const;
+	type without_qualifiers() const;
 
 	static type undefined();
 	static type from_primitive(primitive_type t, type_qualifier quals = qualifier_none);
diff --git a/samples/scratchpad.psy b/samples/scratchpad.psy
index df3424f..0e7ddef 100644
--- a/samples/scratchpad.psy
+++ b/samples/scratchpad.psy
@@ -28,6 +28,11 @@ get_data :: () -> mydata
 putchar :: (ch : i8) -> u0 := extern;
 dub :: (val : i64) -> i64
 {
+	vvptr : i64&& const;
+	deref vvptr = (55@i64&);
+	vv : i64 := 5;
+	vv = 50;
+
 	get_data().member = 5;
 	ptr : i8& := __builtin_malloc(123@u64);
 	longptr : i64& := (ptr@i64&);