diff --git a/app/controllers/api/avatars.php b/app/controllers/api/avatars.php
index d66cc6745e..e0d967eb00 100644
--- a/app/controllers/api/avatars.php
+++ b/app/controllers/api/avatars.php
@@ -525,11 +525,13 @@ App::get('/v1/avatars/initials')
         $code = 0;
 
         foreach ($words as $key => $w) {
-            $initials .= $w[0] ?? '';
-            $code += (isset($w[0])) ? \ord($w[0]) : 0;
+            if (ctype_alnum($w[0] ?? '')) {
+                $initials .= $w[0];
+                $code += ord($w[0]);
 
-            if ($key == 1) {
-                break;
+                if ($key == 1) {
+                    break;
+                }
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/tests/e2e/Services/Avatars/AvatarsBase.php b/tests/e2e/Services/Avatars/AvatarsBase.php
index fbe66e76c5..ba66920ed6 100644
--- a/tests/e2e/Services/Avatars/AvatarsBase.php
+++ b/tests/e2e/Services/Avatars/AvatarsBase.php
@@ -524,4 +524,28 @@ trait AvatarsBase
         $this->assertEquals('PNG', $image->getImageFormat());
         $this->assertEquals(strlen(\file_get_contents(__DIR__ . '/../../../resources/initials.png')), strlen($response['body']));
     }
+
+    public function testSpecialCharsInitalImage()
+    {
+        $response = $this->client->call(Client::METHOD_GET, '/avatars/initials', [
+            'x-appwrite-project' => $this->getProject()['$id'],
+        ], [
+            'name' => 'W (Hello) W',
+            'width' => 200,
+            'height' => 200,
+        ]);
+
+        $this->assertEquals(200, $response['headers']['status-code']);
+        $this->assertEquals('image/png', $response['headers']['content-type']);
+        $this->assertNotEmpty($response['body']);
+
+        $image = new \Imagick();
+        $image->readImageBlob($response['body']);
+        $original = new \Imagick(__DIR__ . '/../../../resources/initials.png');
+
+        $this->assertEquals($image->getImageWidth(), $original->getImageWidth());
+        $this->assertEquals($image->getImageHeight(), $original->getImageHeight());
+        $this->assertEquals('PNG', $image->getImageFormat());
+        $this->assertEquals(strlen(\file_get_contents(__DIR__ . '/../../../resources/initials.png')), strlen($response['body']));
+    }
 }